Everything You Ever Wanted

seanbiggerstafflover

Rating: R
Genres: Romance
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 5
Published: 22/09/2004
Last Updated: 08/10/2007
Status: in_progress

After his victory Harry is left feeling dead inside. He turns to Hermione for one night. That one night has consequences and Hermione leaves for America to raise their child. What happens when Harry finds out? Also has Ron/Luna and by the end Ginny/Draco *NOTE* - the new chapter isn't as well edited as others, the explination is in the AN at the start, I will reload the chapter when I get the well edited verison from my beta

Chapters

1. One Night Won't Change Our Lives

2. I Knew That Was Coming

3. Ten Years Later

4. You'll Have to Tell Us Someday

5. You Have to Be There

6. Homecoming

7. Well, That's A Surprise

8. It'll Be Right This Time

9. I'm A What?

10. How Could You Not Tell Me?

11. Helping You See

12. You Can't Leave Again

13. This Could Get Awkward

14. No Way

15. Dinner and Family

16. What It Would Be Like

17. This Feels So Strange

18. That Went Well

19. About Last Night

20. Giving it the Old College Try

21. We Really Should Have Seen That Coming

22. Aftermath

23. Public Scrutiny

24. Truth

25. Music of the Night

26. Happiness, a Long Time Coming

27. All I Want For Christams is You

28. Sanctuary

29. Innoence and Guilt

30. Birth and Betrayal

31. Legality

32. We Could

33. My Funny Valentine

1. One Night Won't Change Our Lives

One Night Won't Change Our Lives

Loud music was pounding through the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Loud music that would have woken up everyone within twenty yards, but no one was sleeping. Every student from the Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Hufflepuff houses even some from Slytherin and almost all the Professors were celebrating. Celebrating the defeat of Lord Voldemort at the hands of Harry Potter. It had been years in the making, since Voldemort returned at the end of Harry's fourth year, and now it had happened. Mere hours ago Harry had fulfilled his destiny and killed Voldemort. He'd even managed to survive the ordeal without any major injuries.

So know Harry was sitting at the party; at a table that was off to the side of the room. He wasn't able think of a good enough excuse to skip the party, which was being held in his honor, so now he was just trying to stay off people's radar as much as possible. Harry wasn't being very talkative, he wasn't dancing, and he wasn't eating any of the food provided. He was just sitting quietly, wishing everyone would get tired and leave.

"You alright Harry?" One of his best friends, Ron Weasley asked. Harry just shrugged and nodded his head in an unconvincing way. Harry's other best friend Hermione Granger took a seat next to him and put her hand supportively on his knee.

"You guys go enjoy the party - I'll be fine." Ron looked to Hermione, she encouraged him to leave.

"Luna's waiting for you, go dance, I'll sit with Harry for a while."

"Alright," Ron said disappearing onto the dance floor to find his girlfriend.

"You don't have to sit with me Hermione, I'm a big boy I can take care of myself." Harry said turning his back to her and looking blankly at the people around them.

"I know that Harry, everyone here knows that, we're all here because you can take care of yourself and the rest of us. I just thought you might want to talk to somebody."

"Wouldn't you rather be out dancing?" He said bitterly raising his arm towards the dance floor.

"I don't feel much like celebrating." Hermione said leaning her head onto his shoulder.

"Well that makes two of us."

"Come on Harry talk to me." Hermione said grabbing his arm and forcing him to face her. She looked desperately into his eyes. "I'm your friend Harry you can talk to me and you need to talk to someone. You can't just let what you're feeling go unsaid."

"Alright," Harry said after a pause, he really did want to talk to someone and Hermione, having gone through most things right along with him, would be likely to understand how he was feeling. "But not here."

"Let's go to the Room of Requirements, it'll be quite there." Hermione said standing up and taking Harry's hand. As they left almost everyone tried to stop Harry, get him to tell them again what had happened, but Hermione pushed them all aside. She didn't care that she was being rude.

"So we just need a place to talk?" Hermione asked casually as they reached the seventh floor. Harry nodded and they both walked three times in front of a patch of wall and watched as a door appeared. Behind the door was the room they had been thinking of. Just a simple room with a sitting area, a place for them to talk.

"So Harry how are you doing with all this?" Hermione asked sitting down on the couch. Harry didn't want to sit instead he walked back and forth across the room, but she thought that was fine. If he needed to pace to talk to her that was fine.

"I'm fine I guess, as I fine as a murderer can be."

"Harry don't call yourself that. You are not a murderer; you did what you had to do so that all of us could live in safety."

"I killed someone! I know it was only Voldemort and I keep reminding myself that he killed my parents and is the reason Cedric, Sirius, your parents, and so may other people are dead, but that doesn't make it any easier."

"Harry..."

"I don't know how I'm going to live with this."

"You'll take it one day at a time; it's the only way to live with something like this."

"I just feel so wrong. Killing him didn't bring anyone back."

"No, but it saved so many lives..."

"Don't give me that savior of the world crap. I don't want to be anyone's savior Hermione."

"But Harry if you didn't kill him no one would have been able to stop him, that's what the..."

"I know what the prophecy said Hermione. I've been living with that for two years. That doesn't mean I have to like it. I just want to be normal Hermione. I want to have parents, a real family. I want to have a normal relationship with a girl. Do you realize that the only person I've ever kissed was Cho Chang? Not to mention the other things I should have experienced by my age. But I couldn't, oh no, that would far too much to ask because at anytime a raving lunatic could kill me."

"So this isn't really about killing him? This is about the things you've missed out on because of what was expected of you."

"It's about both." Harry said stopping his pacing and pressing his face up against one of the windows.

"Harry," Hermione said softly coming up behind him and putting a supportive hand on his back.

"I just feel so old, but I feel so young at the same time. There's just so much of life I've never experienced, but I feel like I've done everything everyone has ever expected of me. Ever will expect of me. I don't know where my life is supposed to go now. I've fulfilled my destiny, there's nothing else for me." Hermione didn't know what to say to any of that. Harry had missed out on a lot in the past two years, before that even. He had missed out on important things since he was a baby and his parents had been killed. Without thinking Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry and rested her head on his back. She wanted to comfort him, let him know she would always be there.

"Hermione," Harry said softly touching her arms lightly.

"Harry?"

"I don't want to ask you what I'm thinking." Harry said moving her arms from around her waist and turning around to face her.

"What are you thinking?" He wrapped her in his arms, pushing her against his chest, but didn't say anything.

"It's just that I..."

"It's just that you?"

"I've never..."

"You've never?"

"Been with anyone and I know it's a weird time so just forget it."

"You want me to be your first?" Hermione asked gently looking up into his eyes.

"You don't have to, it's a dumb idea." Harry said looking away from her. She didn't think it was a stupid idea, if that's what he wanted, if that's what it would take to make him feel better she was willing to do it for him.

Hermione turned his head towards her and with one hand on either side of his face leaned up and kissed him. Harry was taken by surprise, but didn't fight it. His lips parted inviting her tongue to join his. She accepted his invitation and deepened the kiss. His hands slide under her shirt as he tried to pull her closer to him. Hermione was the first to brake the kiss; taking short and staggered breaths she pulled her shirt up over her head, thinking that was what he was trying to do, and went back to kissing him. Harry's hands roamed her back as Hermione pulled at his belt buckle and undid his pants.

"We don't have to do this." Harry breathed when there lips broke apart again.

"I want to do this for you Harry." Hermione said pushing his shirt up and throwing it to the floor with her. "Besides one night won't change our lives." Harry nodded and kissed her again while guiding her towards the couch. She laid down at an angle, her back resting on the arm rest. Harry stripped out of his reaming cloths and pulled down her jeans before joining her. The couch must have widened because suddenly there was more then enough room for both of them. Harry seemed very nervous as he pulled Hermione's underwear down her legs, but Hermione understood. She had been nervous her first time too.

"Let me help you," Hermione said as Harry struggled to undo her bra. Harry's face reddened slightly in embarrassment, but Hermione assured him it was alright. She gasped slightly as Harry entered her.

"Did I hurt you?" Harry asked nervously.

"No," Hermione moaned, "no Harry that was - was a good noise. Don't stop." Harry smiled at her as he moved again and she moaned loudly.

"Oh, Harry - Harry." Hermione called sometime later as Harry threw her into climax.

"That - that was amazing." Harry said breathlessly. Hermione smiled at him as she wrapped his arm around his back and pulled him down so he was lying on top of her. "Thank you Hermione."

"You're welcome Harry; you know I'd give you anything I could."

They fell asleep that way, but in the morning Hermione woke up alone with a blanket covering her. She looked around for Harry, but didn't find him. Instead she found a note addressed to her on a pile of her fresh cloths.

Hermione,

You made me feel amazing last night, made me realize there were still things out there for me to experience. Thank you Hermione, you really are my best friend. Please don't get upset because I not there, don't feel like I used you - I just thought it would be easier if I wasn't there. Ginny got those cloths for you, I didn't tell her what happened - she guessed.

I'll see you at breakfast Harry

Hermione smiled at his note, he was so cute. She wasn't upset because he'd left - he was right it would have been awkward since as far as she was concerned what happened the night before was a one time thing. She loved Harry as a friend and was willing to be his first for him, but that was as far as it went, she just didn't have those feelings for him. Harry was down at breakfast waiting for her. Apparently he had already eaten and was waiting to talk to her.

"Don't worry Harry I don't feel like you used me. I was a willing participant." Hermione whispered in his ear before she sat down.

"You mean it?" He asked almost in disbelief.

"I mean it Harry."

"I still want to be your friend, that won't be to weird will it?"

"Oh come on Harry, you can't get rid of me that easily. Like I said last night one night won't change our lives or our friendship."

AN: It's sad when characters are so naive, oh well she'll learn. ; ) Please let me know what you think by leaving a review. Thanks.

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2. I Knew That Was Coming

AN: So a couple of questions came up and since I already had this chapter written I figured I'd post it.

I Knew That Was Coming

One month later...

"Well Miss. Granger," the doctor said stepping back into her office after gathering the results of the tests she had preformed. "I think I've solved the riddle of your sickness."

"And?" Hermione said nervously.

"You're one month pregnant." Hermione nodded her head solemnly, her worst fears confirmed. She and Harry hadn't been careful - forget careful they had been stupid. They hadn't even thought of using protection. She knew she was pregnant, she was two weeks late on her period and couldn't stop feeling nauseous.

"Are you alright Miss. Granger?"

"I'm alright, I knew that was coming."

"But you're not happy about it."

"I'm not not happy about it. It's just a complicated situation. I've only just left school, I haven't started work yet."

"And the father?"

"Oh the father will be fine about it, once I tell him."

"You two aren't..."

"Involved? No, but he's a friend."

"Well that's good news." Hermione nodded, it was good news and she knew it was true. Harry wouldn't be upset at her or deny that he was the father. He might be a little upset, but Hermione herself was a little upset so she wouldn't hold that against him. The doctor gave Hermione prenatal medication to take to help her baby grow strong and had her make an appointment for August.

Instead of going home after her appointment Hermione went to Harry's house. He had told her she could come over whenever anything happened and this was definitely something.

"Harry!" She called, "Harry, are you here?" Hermione called as she opened the door to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. No answer came. Hermione wandered upstairs and into the sitting room.

This house, which had once belonged to Harry's godfather, had changed a great deal in the past three years. Especially since Harry took up permanent residency just after graduation. This house had once felt dark and unwelcoming. Now it was bright and full of life. It was a fitting tribute to Sirius' memory, to see his family home turned into a place he would actually have wanted to live in, a happy place for Harry. Everything had been given a fresh coat of paint, the shrieking portraits had finally been removed from the walls, the heads of the old family house elves had been taken down (and thrown out), and everything that had the feeling of Dark Magic had finally been purged. The only thing that remained was the Black family tree; Harry had repaired it and kept it as a memory of Sirius (despite the fact that Sirius had hated it).

Hermione was alone for twenty minutes before Harry got back. She could hear him downstairs making his way up.

"Harry?" She called.

"Hermione?" He called back sounding very confused.

"Yeah it's me," Hermione said meeting him out on the landing. Harry dropped his broomstick and ran across the landing to hug her. "There was something I wanted to tell you."

"It's so great to see you." They hadn't seen each other since graduation. They had talked nearly every other night, but that wasn't the same as seeing each other.

"Ew Harry you're all sweaty." Hermione said pushing him away.

"Oh sorry - I've only just got back."

"From where?"

"That's right I didn't tell you. I had tryouts with Puddlemere United today."

"So you decide to try going pro after all?"

"Yeah well the really amazing bit is - I got picked. And not even for the reserves, for the actual team. Wood's being moved up as well, we'll be playing together again, which will be great since he's a great player, but won't be mad because he wont be captain." Harry was talking about a mile a minute and his sentences only just made sense but Hermione understood him none the less.

"That's amazing Harry, that will be so great for you." Hermione said forgetting he was gross and sweaty and locking him into a tight hug.

"Isn't it - I mean I know I said I always wanted to be an Auror and I still do want to be one someday, but I'll do this for a few seasons and have a lot of fun while I still can."

"That's great Harry."

"So hey what did you want to tell me?"

"Oh, um, I forgot - it'll come to me later. It wasn't anything really important I was just using it as an excuse to see you."

"You never need an excuse Hermione." Harry said.

"I think we should celebrate." Hermione said trying to change the subject.

"I think so too."

"Tell you what - you go take a shower, 'cause you stink, and I'll get Ginny, Ron, Fred and George. The six of us will go out to dinner at the Leaky Cauldron in a couple hours, sound good?"

"Sounds great." Harry said, "hey and work on remembering what you we're going to tell me, I'm sure if it was coming from you it was very important."

"Yeah I'll work on that." Hermione said smiling after him as Harry headed up the stairs and disappeared. "What the hell am I going to do?" Hermione said through her smile. She couldn't tell him now, he was so happy, he had gotten the job of his dreams and now he was going to start this amazing life - she couldn't tell him, she couldn't take that life away.

She needed to talk to Ginny, her best girlfriend, the only other person who knew about she and Harry's one night together. Hermione Apparated to her apartment in muggle Londen which she was sharing with Ginny until Ginny went back to school in the fall. She found Ginny on the couch completely engrossed in a book.

"Ginny I need to talk to you."

"Hermione!" Ginny cried in surprise, she was so involved in her book she hadn't heard Hermione Apparate.

"I'm sorry Ginny, but I really need to talk to you now."

"What's going on?"

"Well we're meeting Harry in two hours, and I still have to go get you're brothers."

"Wait - we're meeting Harry in two hours? Since when?"

"Since two minutes ago. He's been picked for the Puddlemere United Quidditch team and I told him we'd all go out to dinner to celebrate."

"That's amazing!"

"I know, but that's not what I need to talk to you about."

"Well then start talking."

"I'm pregnant."

"What!?" Ginny asked, her eyes wide in surprise. Hermione didn't answer she just started crying. "Oh Hermione it's going to be alright." Ginny said jumping up and hugging her friend. "Harry didn't get upset did he?"

"No."

"Well that's good."

"He didn't get mad, because I didn't tell him. I couldn't tell him."

"Hermione!"

"I know, but he's so happy and I can't burden him with this."

"Harry would want to know."

"I know that, but I can't tell him. That night, before we were together, he was talking about his life and basically he thought it was over. Thought he had fulfilled his destiny and had no idea where his life could go from there. I can't burden him with this - not now, not when he's not happy."

"Listened Hermione don't make this decision now, give it sometime. This is one of those big decisions that needs thinking over."

"Okay," Hermione said wiping the tears from her cheeks. "We should probably get going though; we still have to go to Diagon Alley."

"Alright Hermione, you going to drive us there?"

"I though I would. Oh I look like a complete mess. Let me just go freshen up, I don't want your brothers to see I've been crying."

Twenty minutes later Hermione was parking in front of the Leaky Cauldron. She and Ginny made their way through the pub to the hidden entrance to Diagon Alley. It took them no time at all to let the boys now about the meeting so they spent the rest of the time before dinner wondering around the many shops. As ten minutes to five they bumped into Ron, Fred, and George and the five of them arrived at the pub together.

Harry was already there when they arrived and the six of them got a private booth. Everyone congratulated Harry and ordered special celebratory drinks. Ginny of course couldn't have one since she was under-aged and Hermione turned down the offer since she shouldn't be drinking in her condition (not that she actually said that aloud).

They talked, laughed, and relived some of Harry's greatest Quidditch moments until half past eight when Hermione insisted she needed to take Ginny home. Ginny got very upset about being treated like a child, but Hermione merely reminded her that she technically was the child at the table. Ginny had looked like she greatly wanted to curse Hermione, but agreed to leave none the less.

When they got home Hermione left Ginny to her book in the living room and walked quietly to her room. She turned on her stereo on to some instrumental music and lay down on her bed. What a complete mess she was in. She didn't regret her choice to be with Harry, she just regretted not thinking about it before doing it.

"How are you holding up?" Hermione looked back to find Ginny walking into the room with a cup of tea in her hand. "Here I though you might like this." Ginny said helping Hermione sit up and handing her the tea.

"Thanks and I'm holding up alright I guess considering." She said taking a drink.

"Hermione you have to tell him."

"I know Ginny but I can't, don't you understand that I can't?"

"No Hermione I don't understand."

"Harry has had life so hard; I don't want to burden him with this. Especially not now when he's so happy."

"No you'd rather just put it all on yourself."

"If that's what I have to do then that's what I'm going to do."

"So your just going to avoid Harry until he's unhappy or for the rest of your lives?"

"Ginny, this is my decision."

"I know that, but I'm your friend and I don't want you making things harder for you then they have to be."

"Listen I've thought about this, I'm going to leave - I'll go to America and hid out there for a while. Harry won't have time to come that far to visit me."

"You're going to go to a foreign country to have a baby. You'll be completely alone."

"I'll be alright."

"Why do you have to be so dame self-sacrificing? Hermione this doesn't have to be so hard."

"Ginny this is what I have to do."

"Alright Hermione, alright." Ginny said seeing she wasn't going to win this argument. "So what exactly are you going to do?"

*~*~*

"I can't believe you're leaving." Harry said hugging Hermione goodbye. They were just outside Heathrow airport saying their last goodbyes before Hermione left for America, indefinitely. Hermione had said goodbye to everyone else the day before at a farewell party. Harry had volunteered to drive her to the airport so he could say goodbye as close to her actual leaving as possible.

"Oh you know me Harry, foreign wizards fascinate me. This will be a great opportunity for me to study the American wizarding community up close." That was the excuse she and Ginny had come up with for why Hermione was leaving.

"I know, but I'll miss you."

"I promise I'll call you in about a week once I get settled."

"Where are you going again?"

"I'm starting in Salem and working my way west."

"Life isn't going to be the same without you so close Hermione."

"I know how you feel Harry."

"You should probably get going, doesn't you're plane leave soon." Harry said checking his watch nervously. Hermione looked down at her own watch.

"Yeah I should. Goodbye Harry."

"Goodbye Hermione." Harry watched her walk to the door, out of his life. He wanted to stop her, beg her to stay, but she had picked the life she had wanted and he didn't want to stop her.

AN: It's sad really, they both have something to say, but neither of them have the nerve to say what they are thinking. Hopefully they'll get over that soon.

HPFAN1 - I'm really glad you like it - to answer your questions the story is planned to have 34 chapters, but that could change and as for the pace I wouldn't consider it face paced, but I'm the writer I kind of see things with a weird perspective. spaz141 - well you got it in one - the sex is supposed to seem clinical. Hermione's doing this for Harry `cause she's his friend not because either of them feel those feelings for each other…yet *winkwink* - so yeah it was supposed to sound like that fenriswolf - Hermione's first was Krum, the two of them dated for two years, slept together a few times, but in the end it didn't work out between them because of distance and difference of experiences as far as background goes that's really what the story is about so I didn't even think about adding it, sorry - I hope you like the story as it develops despite it's faults woefulwabbit - like I told the last reviewer Hermione's first was Krum and the lack of emotion was intended because neither of them were getting into the emotional part of it - they were both trying to stay detached `cause well it wasn't about them loving each other, if that makes any sense

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3. Ten Years Later

AN: So now that they are both sacrificing their happiness for the others future it's time to take a time leap to ten years in the future - anyone got a DeLorean? :::steals car from McFly and motions for everone to get in before he notices the car is gone::: Alright, everybody in? Make sure to buckle your seatbelts we got to get this baby up to 88.

Ten Years Later

"Lily! James! If you don't hurry we'll be late." Twenty-seven-year-old Hermione Granger called up the stairs to her twin children.

"I don't see why we have to go to this muggle school anyway. We'll just be going to Hogwarts in two years and then none of this will matter." Nine-year-old James answered running across the stairwell, frantically looking for his backpack.

"Because you're my children and I think it's good for you - I went to muggle school before I went to Hogwarts." Hermione called back.

"Come on James, it's not that bad." His twin Lily called to him while she ran down the backstairs to the garage.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." James said throwing his bag over his shoulders and running after her. Hermione smiled at the two of them, grabbed her keys off the wall, and went into the garage. They were standing at their car doors giving her identical impatient looks, as if she hade been keeping them waiting.

"Don't give me those looks just get in the car." Hermione said pushing the button on the controller for the automatic lock. She didn't really need to drive them to school, their school was only just down the rode, but after dropping them off she would be continuing to the store she owned which was in the next town.

"Mum!" Lily called at the top of her voice as they pulled out onto the street in front of their house causing Hermione to nearly jump out of her skin and slam on the brakes.

“What?”

"James is levitating my pencils again."

"James you know better then to do magic where muggles might see you." Hermione said in an unforgiving tone.

"But Mum, I wasn't doing anything." James said insisting he was innocent

"Oh no of course you weren't." Hermione said glaring at him through the rearview mirror.

"Sorry," James muttered losing his concentration and causing the pencils to fall to the floor.

“And Lily next time James is doing magic just tell me don't scream about it - I though you had broken your neck or something.”

“Sorry Mum.”

“That's alright, just don't do it again,” Hermione said rolling her eyes exhaustedly and driving on; she went threw this nearly every day. She loved her children, but they were such a handful. They had their father's pension for trouble - though Lily hide hers well, and as much as she loved them sometimes they were just a bit to much to handle. With a prayer they would behave Hermione pulled into the parking lot of their school and dropped them off; promising she would be back at three to pick them up like always. Pulling back out onto the road she drove the ten minute drive to her store Blue Moon.

It was a cheesy name - she knew that, but it worked and people seemed to like it. She had a fairly faithful customer base of both muggles and wizards - since the shop catered to both. The store was actually split in two one half had potions ingredients, precious stones, spell books, and other random things the wizarding community liked. The other half had books, precious stones, beads and other random things that the muggle community liked. Hermione kept the two stores separate by a magical door, if muggles looked at it they saw a door with Employees Only written across it; the wizards knew the door led to a muggle shop and stayed away from it.

She pulled into the back lot where she always parked and got ready to face the day by looking at the picture she kept in the sun visor. It was a picture of her and her best friend and financial backer Harry Potter; he had given her the money she needed to open her shop without asking any questions. Looking at this picture always made Hermione smile, it was of a happier time for them. Before Hermione had disappeared to America; before she had had the twins.

Harry also happened to be the father of her twins, though he didn't know it. But anyone with eyes could see it. They both had his jet black hair; James had hazel eyes, a blend of Hermione's brown and Harry's green, and Lily had the emerald eyes Harry was well known for. Hermione considered herself very lucky that he was the father of her children; they had powerful personalities like him and the potential for amazing magical ability. She also felt sad knowing that Harry didn't know their twins, thought that had admittedly been her choice, and seeing them grow more and more like him everyday was one of the hardest things for her to deal with. It made her wish Harry was part of her life again.

Hermione gave the picture one last fleeting look and slid it back into the visor. She had put Harry behind her, so to speak, for a reason and though looking at the picture made her smile, she knew she could focus on it - if she did she would probably catch the first plane back home. She sighed deeply and got out of the car and like clockwork just as Hermione was stepping across the parking lot her cell phone rang. It was Harry.

"Hello sleepy head." Harry said sarcastically, it was already half past hour in the afternoon where he was.

"Hi Harry."

"About to open the shop?"

"Just like everyday when you call." Hermione said turning the keys in the various locks and pushing open the back door.

"I suppose I'm nothing if not consistent."

"Has anyone ever told you that consistency is the last refugee of the unimaginative?"

"Hermione you are the only person I know who talks like that so if you've never said it to me no one has."

"So what's new?"

"Not a whole lot, Luna is apparently driving Ron mad."

"Pregnant women tend to drive people a little crazy."

"Well Daniel hasn't complained yet."

"Luna is seven months pregnant with triplets, Ginny is only four months pregnant with a single child. They are going to act a little different."

"True. So how are things at your end of the world?"

"Basically the same as they were yesterday. Oh so you had that big date with Becca last night, how did that go?" Hermione asked turning the deadbolt on the front door of the shop and switching the sign so it now read open. The store would be quiet for a while so she could keep talking to Harry.

"Not well, we broke up."

"What was wrong with this one?"

"Eh."

"What does that mean?"

"It means eh. I mean she was alright, but I didn't have those feeling for her, you know? Besides I think she only liked me because I play Quidditch."

"What do you mean you didn't have those feelings for her? You slept with her."

"Yeah well that didn't feel right."

"It never does to you."

"What can I say?"

"Nothing that would convince me you're sane, Becca was a nice girl."

"How would you know? You never met her. Or did you forget that you left home ten years ago and never looked back."

"Harry I like the life I have - don't make me feel guilty because of the choices I made."

"I'm not trying to make you feel guilty. I'm trying to get you to come home for a visit or at least let someone visit you."

"I'm fine the way I am - I talk to you every day and Ron and Ginny three times a week. I can't miss you if I talk to you all the time."

"I guess that's true - maybe I shouldn't talk to you so much."

"My phone company would hunt you down."

"Well with that pleasant thought in mind I'll let you go. I'm sure the customers will be piling in soon."

"I'll talk to you tomorrow Harry."

"Bye Hermione."

"Bye Harry." She hung up the phone and sighed. She missed her friends so much, but she couldn't leave her children at home to pop over for a visit and she couldn't take them with her. The life she had chosen wasn't easy, but it was the choice she made.

AN: Poor Hermione, all alone in America and with Harry's twins around to remind her - I wonder what will happen next. ;)

Beppo - : ) Austenlover - I know Hermione's got it all screwed up, but she was young and thought she had the answers as for how often I update I have no idea a couple chapter everyday or every other day, something like that Woodstock - The only person who can tell Harry is Hermione and she's fighting with that decision harrynmione - : ) div - well it actually does take a while for Harry to find out, about ten years actually, but it doesn't take long in the story and well I like the way he finds out - hope you do to, when we finally get there Lara - well Hermione's trying to ignore her emotions at the moment, but once things start to progress you see a lot more of both their feelings - and yeah he is ; ) Natalie114 - I know it sucks to wait and I'll try not to make you wait, but I'm not going to make any promises `cause then if I get stuck I feel like I'm letting you down - well anyway I'm glad you like it so far ginnymalfoy21 - Harry would have been extremely happy, but we'll get to that later ; ) traydr vic - it has to be this difficult because that's the plot ; ) Chancellor - well me might meet someone else, but no one that's worth anything

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4. You'll Have to Tell Us Someday

AN: :::McFly (who grabbed onto the car just before we reached 88) jumps into the drivers seat and drives off in the car::: Dame it, now we're stuck here. Well while you guys read this chapter I'll try and find McFly and steal the car back 'cause we'll need it again before the end. Oh and keep in mind that Harry might not be the only one left in the dark about a couple things.

You'll Have to Tell Us Someday

"How's your work coming?" Hermione asked James and Lily as she stepped out onto the back patio carrying their lunch on a tray. It was the third week of the summer holiday and Hermione had set James and Lily the task of learning some of the basic theory behind magic. It wasn't easy to learn, but Hermione knew they were up to the challenge and she didn't want them to waist one of their last summers before Hogwarts. She also didn't want her children behind when they started school in two years.

"Eh," James said in an exact, if not intended, imitation of his father. Hermione set there food down on the table and went to lean on the banister looking out on to the backyard. They tucked into their food furiously, as if she hadn't feed them for days, but they always got hungry when they studied.

"Mum?" Lily asked putting her sandwich down and looking across the patio to her mother.

"Yes Lily?" Hermione said turning around.

"Can I ask you something?"

"That depends on what that something is."

"Will you tell us about our father?" James stopped eating and turned to Hermione. They had never talked about their father before. James and Lily hadn't even known anything was missing from there life until they went to school and found out their friends had fathers. Even with that knowledge they hadn't asked her. Maybe they thought the longer they waited the more likely she was to tell them the truth.

"What makes you ask about him?"

"He's our father." James said indignantly.

"I know that - I mean why now?"

"Well I was just thinking - we don't even know if he's a wizard or not."

"Yes he is a wizard." Hermione said sighing and sitting at the table. She was surprised that she had made it through nine years without them asking, but that time had made it harder to say.

"And?" Lily urged.

"And we were at school together, I wont go into the sorted details of your conception, but I found out I would be having you two about a month after graduation."

"Is that all you're going to tell us?"

"Well what else do you want to know?"

"Who was he? What was he like?"

"He's very nice, one of my best friends at school. A great guy really. Very smart though he never really applied himself to his studies. He loves to fly, loves playing Quidditch."

"If he's so great why isn't he here, with us?" James asked sounding furious.

"Because he doesn't know about you - I never told him." Her children looked at her in disbelief. Hermione stood up from the table, not wanting to meet her children's eyes. They might only be nine, but they're eyes carried the same intensity as their fathers. "Now come on you two, get back to work."

"That's all you're going to tell us!"

"You didn't even tell us who he is?"

"I'm not ready to tell you."

"You'll have to tell us someday!" James said jumping up from the table and stomping inside. His twin fallowed after him quickly. Hermione sighed at the two of them. That had not gone well. She picked up there lunch plates and carried them back inside, discarded the uneaten food, even got the dishes into the dishwashers before she broke down.

"Dame it!" She screamed kicking the base board of the kitchen cabinets and slumping down onto the floor. It was times like these that she wished she had Harry's support, but, she reminded herself, not having his support had been her choice.

Her confidence in that choice was slowly ebbing away.

Over the years when the twins did something amazing or when they made her mad she wanted to tell Harry. Wanted to confide in him; she wanted to have him in her life, she needed his strength.

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5. You Have to Be There

You Have to Be There

A ringing phone pulled Hermione out of the trance she had been sitting in. She looked over to the wall and saw the handheld phone blinking and shaking a bit in the cradle. Hermione couldn't make out the caller idea from where she was sitting so she crawled up from off the floor and grabbed the phone off the wall.

"Hello."

"Hey Hermione."

"Harry, gee I haven't talked to you since this morning."

"I know, I know I could have told you when I talked to you tomorrow, but I kind of had some big news."

"What Harry?"

"I've decided to retire from Quidditch."

"What!?"

"I know, shocking isn't it, but I think it's time. I've had a meeting with the team today. They wanted me to renew my contract, but I think it's time I stepped aside. I've played enough games, won enough Cups."

"So it's over - just like that."

"Well no, I'm already part of team England, I can't back out now, but the last game we play will be my last game. If we make it all the way to the Cup it'll be an amazing way to go."

"Yeah it would be. Do you think you're going to make the Cup this year?"

"We might, I don't know, I don't want to get my hopes up you know."

"Oh you guys will make it."

"You think?"

"Definitely."

"Well then that brings me to the other issue."

"What other issue?"

"I want you to be there Hermione; you know if we make it to the Cup."

"I don't know Harry."

"Come on Hermione, you can close the shop for a week."

"The shop isn't the issue; I'm taking time off from it as it is." During the summer Hermione only worked in the story on weekends so that she could spend most of her time with James and Lily, but of course Harry didn't know that.

"Then what is the issue?"

"It's not important."

"It's important if it's enough to keep you from coming home to see me play my last game. Come on Hermione, I know Quidditch isn't your thing - I know it's never been your thing, but you have to be there." Hermione looked up the stairs desperately, as if her children would be there encouraging her to go home.

"When will you know if you made it into the cup?"

"In two weeks."

"Tell you what, I'll think about it and let you know - I mean I do have two weeks."

"Alright Hermione," Harry said grudgingly. "I'll give you some time to think - not that I know what you need to think about 'cause you won't tell me."

"Harry," Hermione said warningly.

"I know Hermione, don't make you feel guilty."

"I'll call you when I've made up my mind."

"Alright, bye Hermione."

"Bye Harry."

It was time, Hermione decided as she hung up the phone, time to tell her children who there father was. They had asked and then he had called - it was a sign. Plus there really wasn't any good reason not to tell them. Hermione got up from the floor and headed upstairs. She needed to get something from her room before she told them. After grabbing the old red and gold photo album she walked to her son's room. He was laying on his bed like he always did when he was in a huff. Hermione sat down next to him and rubbed his back gently before calling for Lily to come in.

"Yeah Mum?" Lily asked walking across the hallway.

"I've decided that James is right, I have to tell you who you're father someday and that someday is today." James looked up at her in utter disbelief.

"You mean it?" James asked sitting up.

"I mean it, come on Lily sit down." When Lily had sat down on the bed Hermione continued. "I've actually told you about him before, but never said he was you're father. You're father is my friend Harry, Harry Potter." Lily and James looked at her, their mouths hanging wide open. She had told them about Harry Potter and all the things he had done for their world, but they had never suspected he was their father. But they had never seen pictures of him - another thing Hermione intended to remedy. She flipped the photo album open and handed it to her children.

"That's Harry and I over the summer before seventh year." It was a picture of them at number twelve Grimmauld Place just after Harry passed his apparition test. He was so happy then.

"I have his eyes." Lily said excitedly.

"Yes you do, and he got them from his mother."

"You may have his eyes but I look more like him."

"You look exactly like his father who he looked like except his father had hazel eyes." Hermione flipped the page and there was a picture of James and Lily Potter, Harry's parents. "I named you two after them."

"How did you get this picture?"

"A friend of mine got it for me so I would have something to show you."

"Why doesn't he know about us - I know you said you didn't tell him, but why didn't you?" Hermione sighed, she didn't know how to explain any of this to them, but there was no point in hiding the truth anymore.

"Harry had a very hard life. I couldn't weigh his life down anymore then it already had been. I made a very selfish decision. It took your father out of your lives and I'm sorry, but I thought it was best thing to do at the time." Lily crawled across the bed and hugged her mother comfortingly.

"It's alright Mum, we forgive you."

"Yeah Mum, we've got a good life here even without him." She knew they were saying that to be nice, but it worked, made her feel better even if she thought she had made the wrong decision all those years ago.

"Well he's invited me to watch him play in the World Cup at the end of August - that is if his team plays in it. And I've been thinking maybe it's time he found out about you two."

"Really?"

"Really - he's missed out on so much of your lives and I don't think that's very fair do you?"

"So we're going to see him play?"

"Only if the team makes it, so let's prey they make it."

Austenlover - sadly Hermione doesn't date (I only say sadly because she's been alone for ten years) but you'll learn more about that around chapter…um…23 Jenna Kathleen - you're not stupid you're just really slow, but that's alright `cause I'm sure you were think of something much more important like Tom or chapter 19 - something down2earthangl85 - : ) HHRLVR - thank you for being understanding - the chapters get longer…eventually Recooper1 - : ) izzieq - that's okay you're not really suppose to feel sorry for Hermione you're just supposed to understand her motivations and eventually forgive her - just like Harry ginnymalfoy21 - yes Daniel is Ginny's husband spaz141 - I hope the typos are fewer this time around - yeah 34 chapters, a lot of stuff is going to be happening oh and did you get my reply to your review for chapter 2? LilLamb - well that doesn't exactly happen, but it'll be good all the same JayaMioneDurron - no looking ahead - that's cheating div - it shouldn't be to long Tay - : ) Beppo - she thoughts she was doing the right thing phoenixtears89 - Yey - I'm awesome, I think you're awesome too : ) harrynmione - well maybe not blow up - but stuff is going to happen sweetie513 - : ) Chancellor - yeah Hermione should have told him, but she realizes that and is taking steps to remedy that KJBridgerton - : ) Favo de Mel - : ) Lauren-Danille - : ) : ) : )

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6. Homecoming

Homecoming

The next morning when Harry called Hermione she told him she would love to go to his game. He was overjoyed. Two weeks later he called her and told her they had made it and that he would get her a good seat.

"Do you think you could get me three seats?"

"Sure, no problem - mind if I ask why three?"

"I have a couple of friends I want to bring with me. They're wizards, but they've never seen a Quidditch game and I thought this would be a good way to let them see the best Seeker in action before he retired."

"Great so I'll see you in a week."

"Yeah Harry, see you."

"So we're going to go." James said hopefully from the bottom of the stairs as she hung up the phone. He and Lily were sitting on the bottom steps watching her hopefully.

"We're going. They've made the Cup and he's going to get us tickets."

"But you didn't tell him?"

"I don't think it's the kind of thing you tell someone over the phone. Now go upstairs and get organized I have a couple phone calls to make."

"Alright Mum." They said in unison running up to their respective rooms. Hermione called the airport; they had tickets to England for tomorrow. Then she called Meredith, one of the employees at her store, and asked her to take care of running it while they were away. Meredith said she would be happy to; she was a witch who'd worked with Hermione since Blue Moon had opened seven years ago and knew everything there was to know about running the store. Next she called Ginny.

"Hello," a male voice said from the other end of the line.

"Hey Daniel, its Hermione can I talk to your wife."

"Which one?"

"The pregnant one."

"Could you possibly narrow it down a bit?"

"Dan just put her on the phone."

"Alright," Dan said laughing, "let me just give her the phone."

"Hello." Came Ginny's voice a few moments later.

"Hi Ginny."

"Hermione how are you and the kids?"

"We're doing alright. How are you holding up?"

"Well, my ankles hurt like hell though, Luna says I don't have anything to complain about yet."

"You don't - believe me, it only gets worst. The next few months are going to be the hardest of your life."

"Oh thanks I really didn't need to hear that."

"Well there's nothing you can do about it now. Listen Ginny, do you think the kids and I could come and stay with you for a couple weeks?"

"You're coming home?"

"Only for two weeks. We're flying out tomorrow and then I'm taking the kids to Harry's last game. Are you guys going?"

"No, that's our anniversary and Daniel already made plans for us. You're going to tell him?"

"Yeah I'm going to tell him. They finally asked me about him and then Harry asked me to go to the game. I figured it was a sign."

"Well that's great, but hold on let me ask Daniel about you guys staying over." Hermione heard Ginny put the phone down and then heard muffled voices. "He said he doesn't mind; we have enough room around here and it'll be great to see you."

"Okay well the flight gets in to Heathrow at eight on Monday morning."

"I'll see you then."

"Bye Ginny."

"Bye Hermione." Hermione hung up the phone and went upstairs.

"How are things going up here?" Hermione asked standing in the middle of the hallway, between the twin's adjacent bedrooms.

"Good." They both called.

"Listen only pack your cloths and maybe something to read. We're going to be staying with my friend Ginny and her husband Daniel, they are both wizards so there won't be electricity there or batteries so there will be no point in brining anything electronic."

"Okay."

“If they don't have electricity how come they have a phone?” Lily asked, ever the practical child.

“They have a phone so they can call me and I can call them - they are one of very few wizarding families that have phones.”

“But then how does that work - do muggles know about magic in England?”

“No more then they do here - Ginny and Daniel have a special arrangement with the muggle government to have a phone line brought into their house, but not have the number made public to muggles. It's quite complicated and it took several months to set up, but it's all organized now and all I care to know is that it works. Now I'm going to go pack, how about when we're organized we go and get pizza for dinner?"

"That sounds good."

"I want pasta."

"We'll go somewhere where we can get both Lily."

"Okay." Hermione smiled and continued down the hall to her room. She had no idea what to bring with her. Cloths obviously, but which ones? She would be seeing Harry again, which was something.

In the end she decided to pack what she was comfortable wearing and a couple of books that she had been wanting to read again. Then she went down to the desk in her study and got out the photo album of the twins, their baby books, their passports, and hers. Hermione had gotten her children passports when they were six; she had almost taken them home then, but backed down at the last minute.

The next night they got onto a plan and roughly twelve hours later they were walking through Heathrow airport. Hermione was home. Ginny was waiting for them at the arrivals gate with open arms and a sign that said Welcome Home Hermione, Welcome To England Lily and James.

"It's so great to see you." Ginny said hugging her tight.

"It's great to see you too and you look so beautiful." Hermione said hugging her back. Ginny looked very different from the last time Hermione saw her; even different from the wedding photos that had been taken two years ago. Her hair was short, falling softly just below her jaw line, and she had that glow that all pregnant women have.

"So do you - I wouldn't believe you were the mother of nine year olds if I didn't see them cowering behind you there."

"We aren't cowering." James said stepping up to his mother's side. "We were trying to be nice."

"Hermione he looks exactly like Harry." Ginny said kneeling down carefully so that she was at his eye level. "Except the eyes, they're like a bled of yours and Harry's." James looked at her as though he greatly disliked her appraising him. "Oh, but he does have your stare of death."

"And Harry's intensity. Well James this is my friend Ginevra Lewis."

"Ginny's fine, you can call me Ginny." Ginny said holding out her hand to James, he shook it apprehensively. "I think he thinks I'm crazy."

"Well he has always been a good judge of people." Ginny glared at Hermione before moving on to Lily.

"Now those are they eyes I would expect from Harry's child."

"Lily this is Ginny - Ginny this is Lily."

"Hi," Lily said very politely. "Do my eyes really look like my fathers?"

"Yes they do, very much so. Your hair as well - though his was never as long or in such lovely curls." Ginny said holding out her arm. Lily jumped into them and hugged Ginny tight; Lily tended to attach to people very quickly.

"Your going to have a baby aren't you?" Lily asked as Ginny put her down and stood up slowly.

"Yes I am, but not for sometime. So did you bring your whole house with you?" Ginny asked helping Hermione with some of the bags.

"What can I say, my children are packrats. Oh don't worry,” Hermione said trying to force the bags out of Ginny's hands, “we can manage them on our own." Ginny, just as stubborn as ever, simply marched off ahead of them - a bag in either hand.

"Hermione I'm pregnant not disabled."

"What would Daniel say if he saw I was letting you lift these bags?" Hermione asked as Ginny guided them through the crowded airport to where he car was parked.

"Knowing my Dan, he'd probably say, 'put your back into it'." Hermione laughed.

"I can't believe you have a car." Hermione said as they pilled their suite cases into the back of a large silver SUV.

"Well Dan was raised as a muggle until he went to school, so he always wanted to drive, and when I married him he taught me to drive."

"This car doesn't fly does it?" Hermione asked apprehensively closing the passenger door behind James and getting into the front seat.

"Oh no, I wont let my father anywhere near my car. I love it to much to see it join the old Ford in the Forbidden Forest." Hermione laughed again; it was good to be home.

AN: So she's home, telling Harry can't be far off ; )

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7. Well, That's A Surprise

AN: So we're there - well almost - Harry finds out in the next chapter, but I'm posting that too and the one after as a matter of fact. The only reason this next part takes 3 chapter is because it switches perspectives - starts as Hermione, goes to Harry, goes back to Hermione - and it's just eaiser to brake it up by chapter so, yeah.

FYI: The chapter title refers to Ron's reaction not Harry's - just letting you know so that you aren't surprised

Chapter 7: Well, That's A Surprise

The week at Ginny's house passed very quickly, too quickly for Hermione's sense of ease. She didn't know why she was so nervous - well she did; she was nervous about seeing Harry again, which was crazy because it was only Harry.

On Sunday, while getting ready to see "only Harry" again, it took her thirty minutes just to pick her outfit. She was trying too hard she decided and in the end she dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a red and gold striped sweater that read 'Potter For President' across the back. It was a sweater she hadn't worn since seventh year and it was probably too tight across the chest, but she liked the look of it.

At dusk, just before she and Daniel were due to leave for their weekend alone, Ginny drove Hermione and the children to a portkey two miles from her house, which Harry had had set up especially for Hermione and "her friends". Ginny wished Hermione the best of luck as she got the children out of the car. Hermione smiled weakly, she was so nervous that she almost got back in the car and asked Ginny to take her home. But Ginny, sensing Hermione's doubt, gave her a few encouraging words and they were enough to get Hermione going in the right direction. She had to do it, she had to tell him Hermione convinced herself as she and the children took an old newspaper to the location of the stadium. There was no turning back now.

The tickets were waiting for them at the portkey check point and the seats Harry had gotten for them were amazing. Up in the top box. The stadium was fairly empty when they got there, but that worked for Hermione, no one would stare at her children and wonder about their resemblance to Harry if they didn't see them.

"Are you nervous Mum?" Lily asked moving from her seat to sit in her mother's lap.

"A little, I guess,” Hermione said brushing Lily's hair back from her forehead and kissing her softly, “it's just been so long - I just have no idea how any of this is going to go."

"Do you love him?"

"In a way, I suppose I do. He was one of my only friends at school and I guess I loved him the way all real friends love each other."

"When's the match going to start?" James asked impatiently scanning the stadium with the Omnioculars Hermione had bought him.

"Not for a little while James."

"Why are we here so early then?"

"Because we are." Lilly snapped at him.

"Be nice you two."

"Hermione?!" A male voice asked from the stairs that led to the top box. Hermione turned to see Ron Weasley standing there gapping at her.

"Ron!" Hermione said lifting Lily from her lap and standing up. "Oh it's so great to see you." She said walking over to him and hugging him tight.

"It's great to see you too." Ron said slightly unsure of what was going on.

"James, Lily, this is Ron Weasley, Ginny's older brother. Ron these are my children James and Lily."

"Your what?!"

"Her children." James said impatiently turning away from Ron.

"Ignore him, he has an attitude with everyone when he first meets them."

"Hermione?" Ron questioned looking from the twins to Hermione.

"You guys stay put," Hermione said to James and Lily, "I'm going to go talk to Ron for a couple of minutes. And I'll be just outside on the stairs so I'll know if you try anything." Hermione said taking Ron's hand and leading him out of the box.

"Hermione, those children look just like -" Ron whispered looking over her shoulder at the twins.

"That's because he's their father Ron."

"What do you mean he's their father - you two never dated?"

"You don't get pregnant by dating Ron."

"You mean you guys..."

"Only once; one night. It was just after he defeated Voldemort."

"So that's where you two went."

"Yeah."

"Harry never said anything to me about twins."

"That's because I didn't tell him, he doesn't know."

"You never told him?"

"No, that's why I left. I couldn't tell him. But I've come here today to tell him, the only problem is I have no idea how I'm going to get down there to talk to him. It's his last game; the Daily Prophet is bound to be hounding him."

"Yeah, they have been. The Ministry has set up security so that the press have to give him space. But you know I can get you down there past the security to talk to him after the game."

"Oh that's right, I'd forgotten you're just as famous as Harry when it comes to Quidditch."

"Well you've been away." Ron said quite embarrassed. He played Keeper for the Cuddly Cannons nearly as long as Harry had played for Puddlemere United and had been on the Cup team several times. "You know they asked me to play for the Cup again this year, but Luna didn't want me to."

"She's probably afraid that you'll be badly injured. Being pregnant her hormones have probably made her a little paranoid"

"Yeah that's what I figured. She's had a rough time these past few months; every time I had a match she start thinking I would get fatally wounded, so I gave in and said I wouldn't play."

"There's always next year."

"True."

"So you'll help me?"

"Of course - what are old friends for?"

"Old friends are the best friends."

"Hermione," Ron said after a slight pause in which Hermione had turned away from him and was looking at her children, a strange look in her eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Ron, what if Harry gets mad at me and tells me he wants nothing to do with them? What will I tell them? What if Harry tries to take them away from me? What if - what if..." But Ron never heard the next of Hermione's what if's because she broke down into tears. Ron didn't know what to do; he had never been terribly good in these situations. He did the only thing he could think of; he pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back supportively.

"It's alright Hermione, Harry won't try to take them away and he'll want to be a part of their lives. This is Harry we're talking about."

"I know, but I kept them from him and-and Ron I just don't know what is going to happen."

"No one knows what's going to happen - that's part of life, but Harry is your friend - he'll hear you out."

"Hey," Hermione said pulling out of the hug slightly and looking up at Ron. "When did you get so wise?"

"Luna - I've matured a lot over the past ten years and it's largely because of her."

"I'm glad you're so happy Ron."

"I really am, especially with the babies on the way. I can't wait to be a father. You know I think Harry's been a bit jealous of me lately - I think he wants to have a family of his own. You may be showing up today and giving him exactly what he's been looking for."

"I hope you're right."

"Mum, the game's starting!" James called excitedly. Hermione looked back at him; he was standing by the railing, his Omnioculars pressed to his eyes - scanning the sky.

"We should go back in there if we're going to watch the game." Ron said rubbing Hermione's back one last time and then letting her go. "I still can't believe he's retiring. He loves playing Quidditch more then I do and I can't imagine retiring." Ron said quietly continuing their conversation as they took their seats in the box.

"Well you've got your life organized, haven't you, I mean your married - about to become a father and Harry's still dating, doing the one night stand thing. Maybe he just wants to have more time to develop that other side of his life. And you know he's been playing since he was eleven - did a lot of other physical things while we were at school, what with saving the worlds and all - I think that might be catching up with them."

"Yeah he has been beaten about pretty badly over the years. I think the Beaters have been particularly hard on him because of who he is."

"Mummy look it's him." Lily said pointing to the sky. She had her own pair of Omnioculars to her eyes and was fallowing a blur as it zoomed across the stadium. Ron and Hermione looked up and recognized the blur instantly as Harry - having watched him play so often at Hogwarts neither one of them needed Omnioculars to know it was him.

"Yep that's him alright."

"He's been flying really well this year, better then normal even and for Harry that's saying something."

"Yeah it is. James sit down - you can zoom with those things you don't need to be standing so close to the rail."

"Alright."

"What's the big deal he isn't hurting anybody standing over there?" Ron asked quietly so the kids couldn't hear him.

"I know, but I don't want him getting wrapped up in the game, forgetting where he is, and falling forwards. James has the tendency to get over excited and I just don't want to risk it."

"Spoken like a true mother."

"Well that's what I am, isn't it? So do you think they'll win this year?"

"They could definitely pull it off. But Keller, that's the Keeper, has been kind of whish-washy lately - you know, not giving consistent performances. They should have asked Wood back - he was doing really great this season."

"He's still playing?!"

"Well he started when Harry started so he's only been playing for the League for ten years."

"That's a long time Ron, especially for a professional athlete and he's older then both you and Harry."

"I guess, but if you love the game playing for ten years it's not hard to do."

"Shouldn't Wood be retiring soon?"

"I don't think he'll stop until they make him or until he dies whichever comes first."

"So why didn't they ask him?"

"I think they thought that Keller would play better because he's younger - they're really kicking themselves now, but there isn't anything they can do."

"So if he's doing poorly how did they get to the Cup?"

"Harry and the Chasers - when Keller falls through they pick up the slack. The Chasers pull out all the stops to keep the score even and Harry keeps the other Seeker off the snitch until everything is set."

"How does he manage that?"

"Every Seeker in the League does that old trick of fallowing him around because they know they can't beat him if he gets a head start. Even Bowie, the Seeker for the Cannons, fallows him. I keep telling her it won't do her any good - she needs to see it before he does to have a chance."

"Mum I can't see him." Lily said crawling over into Hermione's lap again.

"Okay let me look." Hermione said taking the Omnioculars from Lily and scanning the sky. She and Ron had been so busy talking she had completely lost the flow of the game. She caught sight of him quickly and slowed down the play before handing the Omnioculars back to Lily.

"You're really good with them."

"Well I have had nine years of practice."

"Is it hard?"

"It what hard?"

"Raising children."

"It's very hard Ron. There lives are in your hands, but it is well worth it and you'll be great at it."

"You think so?"

"Yeah I do."

"Mum he's caught the snitch." James said excitedly before cheering at the top of his lungs.

"Already?" Hermione and Ron said together both looking towards the score board.

"So much for watching the game." Hermione muttered as the score board read England: 170 Ireland: 120 and then they heard the announcer.

"In the fastest ever World Cup catch retiring Seeker Harry Potter has successfully captured the snitch and won the Cup for England."

"You know, I bet he caught the snitch that fast so that he could get to seeing you." Ron joked between standing up and cheering for Harry.

"I doubt that."

"You'd be surprised." Ron muttered.

"What was that?" Hermione asked, she could see his mouth move, but she couldn't make out what he said.

"Nothing, nothing at all." Ron called over the roar of the crowed.

"Ronald Weasley, what did you say?"

"I didn't say anything." Hermione glared at him suspiciously, but soon got caught up in cheering along with everyone else. The Cup had been brought out and the teams were filing into the top box across the stadium from them. They cheered as loud as they could when the Minister of Magic handed Harry the Cup.

"Should we get going?" Hermione asked as team England made its way down through the stadium and to the locker rooms.

"No not yet, let's let the stadium empty out a bit - we'll give it twenty minutes."

"Okay." Only twenty minutes and she would see Harry again. Only twenty minutes and she'd finally tell Harry the secret that had kept her away all these years.

Beppo - I wouldn't either Jenna Kathleen - yeah, yeah, yeah - keep your shirt on I'm writing chapter 21 as fast as I can ginnymalfoy21 - the summary says by the end it will be Ginny and Draco, but Draco doesn't even come in till chapter 27 so there is a bit of a wait there, but by the end of the story Draco and Ginny will be together H/Hr=true - : ) spaz141 - I think that is the most I have ever learned from a review, well yeah there will be more angst to come, but sadly there will be no more Back to the Future references, but there will be other funny movie notes and I don't think Harry is easy on her, but you'll have to see what you think div - : ) sertad - neither actually - well you just have to wait and see Recooper1 - : ) Austenlover - you'll just have to wait and see wont you laila - : ) Mani12191 - : ) harrynmione - : ) HHRLVR - : ) lgsimian - : ) chica - : ) Tomlove01 - : ) Blueeyes - : ) LinNicole - so does that mean you like the story? : ) JayaMioneDurron - : ) Chancellor - well look to the next chapter and you'll see

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8. It'll Be Right This Time

Chapter 8: It'll Be Right This Time

As Harry stood under the hot water tap he felt his muscles relax. It had been a short game, but it had been rough; they'd only just won and he was sore all over from it. Fifteen years of Quidditch and various other injuries had finally gotten to him and he was glad that it was all over. But Harry would replay the game a thousand times if it was what could bring Hermione back into his life.

Harry had loved Hermione since that night they spent together at the end of seventh year. The problem was he hadn't realized it until she was walking into the airport and out of his life. He had been heart broken when she left for America; he wanted to stop her, tell her how he felt, beg her to stay, but he didn't want to stop her from living the life she wanted and he couldn't promise her a normal relationship since he was about to start his carrier as a professional athlete and he had no idea how that would effect his life. So he had said nothing. He'd let her leave and been miserable because of it. But today he was going to tell her how he felt. It would be right this time.

“Hey Potter, your mate Ron wants to see you outside; says it's important.” One of his teammates, Adrian Keller called.

“Alright, tell him I'll be out in a minute.” Harry turned of the tap and quickly wrapped a towel around his waist. He grabbed another to dry his hair, shoved on his glasses and walked out into the hallway.

“Yeah mate was it?” Harry asked with the towel still over his face. It wasn't until he heard a soft gasp that he realized Ron wasn't alone in the hallway. He moved the towel away from his eyes and found Ron standing in front of him and Hermione at his side. She looked absolutely amazing. “Hermione!”

“Oh Harry.” Without warning Hermione wrapped Harry in a tight embrace. She didn't seem to care that he was half naked.

“You're a sight for sore eyes.” Harry said wrapping one arm around her and keeping one on the towel around his waist.

“So are you, I've missed you.”

“I though you said you couldn't miss someone you talked to everyday.”

“Fine, I've missed seeing you.”

“I've missed seeing you too. You look amazing by the way Hermione. I can't believe you can still wear that old sweater.” Harry said looking her over once their hug was finished.

“Thanks Harry - you, um look good as well.” Hermione said looking at him and blushing. She hadn't expected him to look as good as he did. He had a firm chest, strong arms and legs, and hair that was long and shaggy, it looked good that way. His emerald eyes were sparkling with wonder and a sexy smile was playing about his lips.

“Oh right let me go throw something else on - like clothes.” He said disappearing into the locker room. God, she looks so amazing Harry thought to himself as he made his way back to his locker.

“Hey Potter - that girl out there, is she yours?” Keller asked stepping up to Harry's locker.

“Not yet.” Harry said pulling his boxers on under the towel and then throwing the towel aside.

“You ganna go for it?”

“Shut up Keller,” Harry said pulling on his pants. Keller's a kid, only 19, he doesn't understand things like love. “Listen to me Keller - there are some women who you don't just `go for'. They are put on this earth to be loved and respected and if you are lucky you get to be with them. That woman standing out there is one of those women. She's worth so much more then just sex.”

“God Potter you've got it bad.” Keller said as Harry pulled on his shirt and started walking towards the door.

“Someday kid you will understand.”

“No woman is worth that much work.”

“Someday Keller - someday.” Harry said pulling the door open and walking back out into the hall. “Hey, where did Ron go?” Harry asked as the door closed behind him.

“Down the next hall.”

“Not that I mind being alone with you, but why'd he leave.”

“I don't know.”

“Well anyway - life seems to have treated you well, you look amazing.”

“Yes it has, I've had a wonderful time in America. Things have worked out well there.”

“Thing would have worked out well if you had stayed here.” Harry said taking a nervous step towards her. He had to tell her now before he lost his nerve.

“I wouldn't be to sure about that.” Hermione said more to herself then Harry.

“What Hermione?”

“Oh nothing. Listen Harry there's something I have to tell you.” Hermione said nervously playing with her bag, inside where the children's baby books and photo album, Hermione planed on telling him about their children and then showing him the books. But before Hermione could get the books out of the bag or say anything more there was a cry from down the hallway.

“Mummy! Mummy!” A small girl was running down the hallway towards them her long black hair billowing behind her. Harry turned around to look behind him; maybe this little girl's mother was further down the hall, behind them. No there was no one there. When he turned back he saw Hermione scoop the child into her arms, rest the child's weight on her hip, and pull the child's head into her shoulder.

“It's alright love,” Hermione said comfortingly to the small child, patting her back softly. This little girl was Hermione's daughter Harry realized as she saw her rock the child back and forth to calm her.

“Hermione?” Harry asked looking at her with pain in his eyes. Hermione had a child and hadn't told him; Harry could almost hear his heart braking again.

“Harry, this isn't how I would have chosen for you to find out. I wanted to talk to you first, but this is your daughter Lily.”

AN: He's found out ...

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9. I'm A What?

Chapter 9: I'm A What?

“She, she's my what? I'm a what? Hermione?” Harry looked from Hermione to the child.

“She's your daughter, you're her father.” Hermione said still trying to comfort her little girl.

“I ca-can't be, it's not, not possible, if she was mine you'd, you'd have told me -” Harry stammered in disbelief.

“I don't know what I can tell you Harry other then the truth. Here look at her for yourself if you don't believe me.” Hermione said offering Lily to Harry. He took her, very unsure of what he was doing. But as the little girl settled into his arms she opened her large emerald eyes and all of Harry's doubts were taken away.

“Lily, Lily, I told you we were going to let Mum and Dad talk. I'm sorry Hermione I tried to keep her away, but she was upset and wouldn't listen.” Ron called down the hallway not realizing that Harry had already come back into the hall was standing there with Lily in his arms.

“You knew,” Harry said and Ron stopped dead in his tracks. “Ron you knew about this? You knew I had a child and you never told me.”

“No I didn't, not before today.” Ron said shacking his head. “I swear mate, I didn't know.” Harry was unconvinced.

“Really Harry he didn't know until he stepped into the top box a little while ago. I never told anyone but Ginny.” Harry looked at her in disbelief.

“If everyone is going to be down here then I'm not waiting back there. People are looking at me and pointing.” James said running down the hallway. Harry's eyes widened in shock.

“Who's he?” Harry asked Hermione.

“Your son James, I gave birth to twins nine years ago.”

“He looks just like my father.”

“I know.”

“Hermione, we have to talk about this.”

“I know.”

“Listen,” Ron interjected, “how about I take these two back to Ginny's house and let you two talk?”

“Hold on for just one minute. Lily what happened that got you so upset?” Hermione said rubbing her daughters arm supportively.

“James said I was the reason Dad never spent time with us.” Hermione rounded on James

“Why would you say something so horrible to your sister?”

“She was annoying me.” James said almost apologetically.

“She is your sister; she's bound to annoy you sometimes. I raised you better then that James, making your sister cry over something you know isn't true.”

“I'm sorry Mum.”

“Don't apologize to me - apologize to your sister.”

“I'm sorry Lily.” James said walking over to his sister.

“You mean it?” She asked looking down from Harry's shoulder.

“Yeah and what I said, it wasn't true, you were just annoying me with all your questions. He didn't stay away from us because of you.” Lily smiled at him and he smiled back.

“Now that that's settled, Ron, it'd be great if you would take them back to Ginny's. She and Dan aren't there so could you stay with them a while?”

“Yeah no problem - I'll let Luna know what's going on and stay until you get back.”

“Thanks Ron. Goodnight James,” Hermione said hugging her son. “Behave for Ron wont you?” She whispered in his ear.

“I will Mum.” Hermione smiled at him and then turned to Harry who still had Lily tight in his arms. Harry understood what she wanted. He hugged his daughter tight one last time and whispered “I love you, never doubt that” in her ear before giving her back to Hermione. He didn't know how he could love someone that he had just met so much, but he knew it was true.

“Goodnight my sweet girl.” Hermione said hugging Lily and putting her down.

“Goodnight Mum.”

“Alright come on you two, I'm taking you back to Ginny's and then you are going to bed.” Ron said taking them both by the hand and walking down the hallway.

“But we're not tired.” Lily and James said in unison.

“Well I am.” Ron said as he turned the corner and the three of them disappeared from sight.

“Hermione,” Harry said sternly pulling her attention off her children. She turned to see a stone faced Harry looking at her. “We need to talk.”

AN: I know, I know really short again and but it's not really a cliff hanger because we know what they are going to go do, but at least now he knows and you've seen a bit of his reaction - even if he is in shock and his reaction is a bit muted. Up next…the talk.

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10. How Could You Not Tell Me?

AN: Here it is the moment we've all been waiting for - the talk

Chapter 10: How Could You Not Tell Me?

“I agree Harry, we do need to talk.”

“I have to go give a statement about my last game, but after that I want to talk to you about this.”

“Alright, do you want me to wait here?”

“No I want you to come with me, but first let me grab my stuff from the locker room.” Harry saw Hermione nod as he disappeared into the locker room. He gathered up his things as quickly as he could and walked back towards the hallway. His thoughts of telling her his feelings were gone now. All he wanted was to understand; understand how he could be the father of nine year old twins and not know about them.

Harry grabbed Hermione's hand, probably harder then he should have, and pulled her out towards the Quidditch pitch where the press was waiting for him. Harry smiled nervously at them as he handed Hermione his bag and walked to where the reporters were standing - he hated public speaking. They asked him the usual questions about the game and why he was retiring, nothing new really. Harry answered them as patiently as he could but kept checking his watch and looking to Hermione. Finally Rita Skeeter asked the question that was on all of their minds.

“So Harry, you seem to be in somewhat of a hurry, is it possible that you have plans with that charming friend of yours?”

“Actually I do, she a school friend I haven't seen for ten years and am anxious to catch up with. So if you guys don't have anymore questions for me we'd like to get going.” Harry said addressing Rita coolly and turning away from them.

“You're Hermione Granger aren't you?” Rita asked smoothly.

“You know very well who I am and I know exactly what you are.” Hermione said as Harry returned to her side and they walked off the pitch.

“You shouldn't have said anything.” Harry said sharply pulling Hermione away from where the press could see her.

“There's no reason to be upset at me.” Harry glared at her. “I mean about what I said to Rita. You know how much I hate that woman.”

“Yes, but now she's going to investigate and probably find out about the children. God I have children - nine-year-olds at that. Come on Hermione it's late and we still need to talk.”

“Are we going to number twelve?”

“I though it would work.” Harry said as he Disapparated to his home. Hermione looked at the spot where he had been standing and prayed for strength before following him.

“Harry?” Hermione called after she appeared in the front hall. She had done the same thing a little over ten years ago. Then she had barley been pregnant, if she could go back to that moment and tell Harry the truth she would if only to stop him from being so mad at her now.

“I'm down in the kitchen.” Hermione took a deep breath and walked through the hall and down into the kitchen. Harry was sitting in a chair facing the door. “Sit down and explain this to me. Explain to me why I've just met a nine year old girl with my eyes and a nine year old boy who looks exactly like my father. Explain to me how my best friend, a woman I've talk to every day, had my children and never told me. How could you not tell me?”

“Harry, it's been so hard not telling you.” Hermione said walking over, kneeling in front of him, and taking his hands in hers. “But I did what I thought was best.”

“Why? Am I not good enough to be a father?”

“No Harry, it wasn't anything like that. It's just that night when we talked you were so sure you didn't have a future, sure that your life had nowhere to go. Then when you got picked for Puddlemere United you were so happy. You had the future you were sure couldn't exist. I couldn't take that away; I couldn't burden you with this.”

“So that day, when you came to my house and said you couldn't remember what you were going to say, you were going to tell me you were pregnant?”

“Yes.”

“So you decided to sacrifice your future instead.”

“I didn't think I had any other choice at the time.”

“That's why you wouldn't let any of us visit you.” It wasn't a question but Hermione nodded her head to confirm his suspicion. “You could have told me Hermione, we could have worked it out together. I could have been a part of their lives and played Quidditch.”

“Do you have any idea how hard it was to raise those two as young as I was?”

“It would have been easier if we had done it together.”

“I don't think that's true Harry. Your carrier kept you busy. I don't think a phone call from their father everyday would have done them much good.”

“I would have given them more then that - I would have worked it out.”

“Harry it was easier this way.”

“Easier for who Hermione? You? You had to raise two children on your own. Them? I'm their father and they don't know. Me? I -”

“Yes Harry you. I didn't think about them needing a father and I didn't think about how hard it would be for me; I thought about you. About how hard it would be for you to play Quidditch and raise a child let alone two at such a young age. I didn't think about anyone, but you.”

“So this is all my fault?”

“No Harry, it's mine, I'm just trying to explain why.”

“Do you even understand what you have kept from me?”

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it Hermione, I've never had a real family, unless you count the Dursleys and I don't. You didn't just keep children from me - you kept my only family from me.”

“I never thought of that.”

“I can see you didn't. I remember growing up without a true family Hermione, wanting a mother who loved me to hold me when I was hurt or a father to teach me things. I felt so alone.”

“Harry I'm sorry - what else do you want me to say? I thought I had all the answers - I thought - thought I was doing what was right, obviously I was wrong.”

“I would think that you, being the person I confided in the most, would understand what a family would mean to me.”

“I didn't think of any of that, I just wanted your life to be easy.” Hermione said now regretting her decision more then ever.

“I will never be able to have an easy life Hermione. I never have and I never will.”

“I meant easier then it has been in the past - I just wanted you to be happy.”

“They would have made me happy.” Harry said simply. Hermione couldn't think of anything to say to that.

“God Hermione what were you thinking! Were you even thinking!?” Harry yelled not looking at her. “I just can't comprehend what made you think that this would be a good idea! That taking my children away - not letting me even know them would solve anything!”

“Harry I'm sorry - I was young - I thought I knew everything - I thought I understood the consequences - thought I understood the impact of what I was doing.”

“Did you even once think of how I would react when I eventually found out!? Were you even going to tell me!? Did that ever factor in to your plan!?” Harry questioned turning back to her.

“I was going to tell you eventually.” Hermione said softly avoiding his eyes - she was crying now and she didn't want him to see that.

“When - when were you going to tell me!?” Harry asked raising her face so she was looking at him. “Don't cry! Don't try to make me feel sorry for you!”

“I'm not trying to make you feel sorry for me.” Hermione said bitterly wiping the tears from her check. She was trying to make him feel sorry she was crying because she realized how much she had hurt him. “And I don't know when I was going to tell you - I hadn't figured that out yet.”

“You hadn't figured that out yet?!” Harry said rolling his eyes.

“No Harry I hadn't.”

“Were you going to wait till they were eleven and went to Hogwarts and just let me hear about it that way?!”

“No - I would never let you hear about your children second hand like that, but I guess it felt like it was never the right time. You were enjoying your life - the happy life I had been trying to ensure you would have by taking them away. I could make myself take that away from you.”

“But you wouldn't have! That's the whole point!” Harry yelled feeling they had just talked themselves into a circle that more talking wasn't going to get them out of. “You named them after my parents?” Harry asked after a long silence.

“It felt right. He looks exactly like your father and she has your mother's eyes; your eyes.”

“I want to see them again.” Harry said standing up and pulling Hermione up with him. “Now.”

“They're at Ginny's.” Harry nodded and they Disapparated. “Their room is just up the hall.” Hermione said flipping on the lights and pointing in the direction of a doorway. Harry let go of her hands and walked down the hall. Hermione followed shortly after him. By the time she reached the door Harry was already in the room. She could clearly make out his outline. He was bent over James' bed. James was asleep so he didn't notice Harry leaning down and kissing him softly on the head.

“Harry?” Hermione whispered, but he ignored her as he turned to the other bed; Lily awake and watching him smiled as he moved towards her.

“Daddy?” She asked softly. Harry smiled down at her and kneeled next to her bed.

“Yes sweet love.” Harry said rubbing his hand against the side of her face and through her long hair.

“Are you mad at Mum?”

“Yes I'm afraid I am.”

“Don't be mad at her, she raised us well and she loves us.”

“I have no doubt about that Lily. Now go to sleep.”

“Alright Daddy.” Harry kissed her forehead softly as he stood up and she closed her eyes contently.

“Harry?” Hermione asked again as Harry walked to the doorway where she was standing.

“I need some time Hermione, you betrayed me by keeping them from me - you have to give me time to sort this all out.” He said softly as he walked passed her and disappeared. Hermione felt soft tears roll down her cheeks again. She had expected Harry to take this better then he had, but she didn't know why. He had every right to be mad at her. Hermione whipped the tears from her eyes and walked into the living room. There she found Ron, sleeping in an arm chair.

“Ron,” Hermione said gently shaking his arm.

“What? Hermione is that you?”

“Yeah it is. You can go home to Luna now.” Ron nodded his head sleepily as Hermione helped him out of the chair.

“How did it go with Harry?”

“I don't know exactly, he was upset. Well no he was angry, but I guess that's understandable. He said he needed time so I have no idea where we stand now.”

“Don't worry Hermione; I'm sure Harry will be alright if you just give him some time.”

“I'm sure you're right Ron, say hi to Luna for me.”

“I will, `night Hermione.”

“Goodnight Ron.” And then Ron was gone and Hermione was all alone. She didn't feel much like sleeping, but there was nothing else for her to do so she headed up the stairs to the guestroom she was using. She changed quickly into her pajamas, a tank top and pajama pants, and crawled into bed. Everything was in Harry's hands now.

AN: Now, I know Harry's reaction was a little subdued, but he's more hurt then angry, but we're going to delve a little deeper into his feelings in the next chapter. Anyway I wonder what will Harry do now that everything is in his hands? I guess we'll just have to wait to find out.

spaz141 - Harry didn't go to see Hermione immediately because he didn't know she was in town yet - another thing she failed to tell him. “Ganna” is my/my friends slang for “going to” I didn't even think about that whole it's not a real word thing and I was the same kind of nine year old as your daughter (actually I was a bit taller) but all my cousins - from small parents - were small enough to fit on hips until they were about 12 and a half so those are the nine year olds I know, plus Lily and James are a bit small for their age, especially Lily - I don't know I think Hermione got pretty chewed out, but you'll have to tell me what you think oh and the funny movie references are later on in the story so yeah you'll see them when we get to that point Coriander - : ) mwood2182 - : ) Voldermortist - the chapters are what they are, but the short ones will never be posted by themselves so don't worry Austenlover - : ) shaz124 - : ) izzieq - the point of this isn't for you to feel sympathy for Hermione, but you do have to understand that Harry loves her and anger isn't going to make that go away div - : ) LilLamb - : ) kw702955 - : ) MrsDanielRadcliffe - : ) LinNicole - : ) Hdawne - : ) HHRLVR - : )

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11. Helping You See

Chapter 11: Helping You See

Harry appeared in his pitch-black bedroom in number twelve and immediately feel forward onto his bed, on the verge of tears. How could Hermione do this to him? How could Hermione not tell him about the only family he ever had? Thinking of his children made the tears fall freely down his cheeks. Lily was so beautiful; Harry's emerald eyes came to life in her face which was so like her mothers, especially since she didn't have to wear glasses, and her hair was long and soft. And though he had only been near her for mere minutes Harry could tell she had a wonderful personality - she was warm and loving. Lily was everything Harry had ever imagined his daughter being. Then there was James, a perfect replica of Harry's father; he certainly seemed to be a handful already. Harry was sure that if his godfather Sirius, who was in life James Potter's best friend, had ever had a son he and Harry's son would have great fun together.

Harry rolled over to his back and wiped his face dry, but now the tears were rolling down the sides of his face and pooling by his ears so Harry sat up. This was not at all how he had envisioned his reunion with Hermione. In his mind Hermione came to the locker room after the game, just like she had, but in his vision he was wearing cloths (not that she seemed to mind). He would look sexy and desirable, though judging by the look on her face he had managed to do that without trying. Harry would pull her aside and tell her how he'd felt about her all these years - that he loves her. In his perfect vision she would say she had always felt the same and that she'd come home - back to him. He had even started to envision their wedding - a moonlight ceremony on a clear summer night; the sky full of stars - them surrounded by their friends - it would be the perfect night.

Over the years Harry had compared every woman he had ever been out with to Hermione and none of them measured up. One had come close, but in the end she hadn't been Hermione - she hadn't been what he wanted. That was two years ago. Since had had dated off and on, but none of them were right and Harry knew why. All these girls treated him like Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, the Teenager Who Saved the World, the Man Who Was a Sports Legend; none of them knew him - none of them wanted too. They wanted to live the famous life and be seen on his arm. They didn't want to understand the pain he had gone through, the struggles to be normal, to have real life. Hermione knew his pain, where it came from and how it affected him. Hermione knew his struggles; she had been at his side through all of them for nearly eighteen years. She was even willing to be with him, because it would help him connected with the years he had lost - the things he hadn't allowed himself to experience.

Hermione meant the world to him and finding out about their twins brought that world to its knees. Not because he had children with Hermione - no, that was a dream of his - it was because she hadn't told him. Everything he had ever dreamed about couldn't happen now. Now he had to be a father - a father, something he had always wanted to be. He wanted to hold his newborn child in his arms and understand the child was a part of him and the women he loved. He wanted to give the child everything he had never had. As it turned out his children didn't really need him - just like their mother, and it broke his heart.

Trying to shake off those depressing thoughts Harry stripped down to his boxers and settled into his bed. His mind was still wheeling, but his exhausted body got the better of him and he quickly feel into an uneasy sleep. Before his eyes he saw his children all grown up looking to their mother's husband, a man Harry didn't recognize, to fill the void left by their absent father. In Harry's heart he knew he hadn't abandoned them, but it didn't mater - they had turned away from him. Then his dream changed and it was Hermione telling him that she would always be his friend, but that she had to leave him because he didn't know how to love her or their children. Harry's mind tossed him from bad dreams to worst until the late hours of the morning.

Even then he didn't wake of his own power, a soft voice and a light touch brought him out of his nightmares. It was Hermione.

“Harry, Harry are you alright?” She said to him her soft hands on one of his shoulders.

“Hermione?” Harry questioned opening his eyes ever so slightly.

“It's me Harry, I came to talk to you and when I got here I heard you moaning.” Harry noted the tone of concern in her voice.

“You heard moaning? How did you know I would be alone?” Harry joked playfully sitting up, but still not opening his eyes - it was far to bright in his room.

“Not that kind of moaning - the kind you use to make when Voldemort sent you those dreams.”

“Oh.”

“Are you alright?”

“I'm fine.” Now that you're here Harry heard the voice in his head add and he knew it was true. No matter how upset he was at her, he was happy she was there - so close to him. “So you said you wanted to talk to me.”

“Yeah Harry I do.”

“Well start talking.”

“I know you said you needed time, but I thought of something last night that might make you happy.” Inside Harry's head he couldn't stop smiling thinking about all the things she could do to make him happy, but on the outside he looked calm and collected.

“And what would that be?”

“Come downstairs and I'll show you.” Hermione said walking to the door. Harry opened his eyes and raised one eyebrow to her retreating back. What on earth was she going to show him? Quickly Harry got out of bed and pulled on the pants he had worn the night before, since they were sill lying at the foot of his bed, grabbed a t-shirt from on top of his dresser and walked hurriedly downstairs. He reached the bottom step just as Hermione was walking into the dinning room.

“What are you showing me in here?” Harry asked pulling on his t-shirt and walking through the dinning room door which Hermione had left open. She didn't answer right away; she was staring at his exposed abs. Harry pulled his shirt down and looked at her.

“Sorry Harry what did you ask?”

“I asked you, what are you showing me in here.”

“Oh yeah, well like I said - wait sit down before anything else.”

“Okay, any particular spot.”

“Next to me would probably be best.” Harry raised his eyebrows in a quizzical way and did as he was told. “Okay so like I said I thought of something that I think will make you happy.”

“And like I asked - what would that be?”

“This,” Hermione said pushing a bowl towards him.

“Hermione that's a Pensive - I have one of those already, remember Dumbledore gave me one so I wouldn't have to live with all the things I've seen.”

“It's not so much the Pensive that will make you happy - rather it's what memories are inside it.”

“What memories are inside it?”

“My memories - of the children all the firsts I could think of that you missed out on. I can't give what you've lost back to you and you still won't be able to hold them, but at least you'll be able to see the things you missed.”

“Hermione - I don't know what to say to you other then this is possibly the best idea you've ever had.”

“You really think so?”

“Of course I really think so,” Harry said reaching over from his chair and hugging her. “This is so perfect, God Hermione when you said you thought of something that would make me happy you weren't kidding.”

“I would never joke about your happiness.”

“So?”

“So, you have a Pensive you know how to use it.”

“Yeah, but I want you to come with me, they are your memories after all.”

“Alright, we'll go together.” Hermione said moving her hands to the edge of the basin, letting her fingers hang just above the silvery surface. Harry mirrored her actions by putting his left hand on the bowl's rim; his right hand reached across the basin and grabbed hold of hers. Hermione smiled at him in a slightly embarrassed way, as if they were school children playing a flirtatious game. Harry returned the smile and they instinctively dipped the fingers of their free hands into the pool of Hermione's thoughts at exactly the same time.

Harry felt the familiar falling sensation through cold blackness, he felt Hermione's hand in his thought he couldn't see her. They started spinning faster, Hermione's hold on him tightened, and then it was over and they were standing in a bright hospital room. Harry looked around and saw a nine years younger Hermione laying in a hospital bed, her legs up in the air and a nurse by her side telling her to breath.

“Not the most flattering position, but necessary.” Hermione said in Harry's ear.

“Are they…?”

“They're on their way - the first one is about to be born.”

“Who was born first?” Harry asked excitedly.

“Why don't you wait and find out?” Hermione said smiling at Harry's excitement.

“Can I -” Harry asked nervously pointing to where the doctor was sitting between Hermione's legs.

“If you want to - it's an awful mess, not very attractive, but that is where the miracle of life happens.” Harry smiled nervously again and took up a position right behind the doctor so he could see over his shoulder. Hermione who had seen all this first hand nine years ago stayed off to the side.

“Okay Hermione on the next contraction I want you to push.” The doctor said nodding towards the nurse who on his cue she helped Hermione sit up.

“Alright dear - I know you're tired, but you're first little baby is on its way.” Hermione nodded.

“You look exhausted.”

“Yeah well - you would be too.” Hermione said simply.

“Come on Hermione it's time - we need you to push. I know you're tired and it's hard, but your baby needs you right now.” The doctor said, Hermione nodded again and started to push. “That's perfect Hermione, come on push, push.” Hermione made a gasping noise, “okay stop Hermione, the heads out. You're doing so great, I want you to breath, relax and breath because on the next contraction I want you to push this little guy all the way out.” The doctor said cleaning out the babies noise. The next contraction came quickly and before Harry knew it his daughter was in the doctors arms.

“Well it seems your little girl decided to come first.”

“My little girl?” Hermione asked weakly.

“Yes.” The doctor said handing Hermione her baby daughter as the baby let out a tremendous wail.

“So Lily came first?”

“She did - she's sweet, but she can be very forceful.” Harry started to walk towards Hermione's bedside, but the scene started to melt away.

“What's happening?”

“James wasn't born right after Lily - so the memory is changing.”

“But I barley got to see her.” Harry said as the room came back to them.

“You'll see her more later.” Hermione said stepping across the room to where Lily was sleeping. Harry fallowed her with his eyes, but his attention was brought back to memory surrounding them as the doctor told Hermione to push once more. Even thought Harry had seen this happen seconds ago with Lily he was completely engrossed in the birth of his son. The scene went very much the same as it just had except after the head was out James just sort of slid out on his own.

“Hermione!” A voice said from the doorway. Harry turned to see seventeen-year-old Ginny Weasley running into the room, dressed in her school uniform. “Hermione are you alright?” Ginny asked reaching Hermione's bedside as the doctor placed James on her chest.

“I'm alright now.” Hermione said looking down at her small, crying, son. “How did you know?”

“Dumbledore.”

“I swear that man knows everything.”

“Well actually Professor McGonagall told him. She was looking at the book where the names of newborn witches and wizards are recorded just after birth. At the bottom of the list it said baby girl Potter and baby boy Potter - she told Professor Dumbledore who told me because he knew I was your friend.” Ginny said in a low whisper so the doctor and nurses wouldn't hear her. Harry walked over to Hermione's bedside as Ginny was talking, looked down at his infant son, and started to cry.

“And he already knew I was pregnant.”

“Apparently - which one is this one?” Ginny asked stroking the top of James' said softly.

“This is my son. Nurse, can you bring my daughter over here.” Hermione called to the nurse across the room from her.

“Of course,” the nurse said pushing the hospital crib across the room to her.

“Hermione - she' beautiful.” Ginny said as the nurse pushed the crib up right next to her. “She looks just like you.”

“Except for her eyes - they are the same shape as Harry's.”

“What are you going to name them?”

“I was thinking James and Lily -”

“After his parents.”

“I wish he was here.”

“He can be - I could go and get him.”

“No Ginny - I've made my choice.”

“They are perfect Hermione.” Harry said to Hermione as he leaned over his daughter and traced the curve of her face with the back of his hand.

“They are pretty great aren't they?”

“Absolutely amazing,” Harry said fallowing the nurse as she took James over to be weighed and measured. As the nurse took down James' measurements the image melted away again. “You didn't tell me Ginny was there.”

“Well it was kind of a surprise to me too.”

“So what's next?”

“Their first smiles.” Hermione said as the image of their nursery surrounded them. And so it went for the next two hours. They saw one memory after the next unfold around them. The twins first laugh, the first time they crawled, their first steps, their first holiday, their first words, their first scrapped knee, their first day of school, and the first time they did magic. All the firsts their lives were full of that Harry hadn't been there for - just like Hermione had said.

When they had cycled through all the memories and were out of the Pensive once more Hermione saw tears in Harry's eyes. She knew he was misty eyed because he was happy, but Hermione still didn't like to see him cry so she moved her chair next to his and put a supportive arm around him.

“I'm alright Hermione, I'm just so - so happy.”

“I'm glad,” Hermione said softly letting go of him and standing up. She walked over to the basin and started to put the memories back into her head. “Harry,” Hermione said when the basin was empty, “I need to get back to the twins now, so I'm going to give you the time you asked for - I'll be at Ginny's house when you're ready to talk.”

“Okay.” Harry said wiping his eyes dry and standing up. “Thank you Hermione.”

“You're welcome Harry.” Hermione said as she disappeared. Harry looked after her for a while; she was a great woman, a great woman that he couldn't stay upset at.

AN: When Hermione has a good idea, she has a good idea

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12. You Can't Leave Again

Chapter 12: You Can't Leave Again

Hermione didn't hear from Harry at all over the next week. Apparently he needed a lot of time to think and Hermione understood that. She had given him a lot to think about. But as patient as Hermione was willing to be her plane left on Sunday. She couldn't wait longer then that, if Harry wasn't going to be a part of their lives then she needed to get her children home - back to their normal life.

Hermione awoke the Sunday morning her plane left to the smell of pancakes and the sound of her children laughing. It was a very good way to wake up. She pushed the heavy comforter off of herself and got out of bed.

“Ginny?” Hermione called from the doorway of her room.

“We're down in the kitchen.” Ginny called back.

“I'm going to need to go into town later.” Hermione said continuing the conversation as she walked down to the kitchen.

“Why?”

“Because I need to get a couple of things before our flight this afternoon. I guess Harry decided her didn't want a family after all.”

“I wouldn't be so sure of that.”

“Come on Ginny it's been a week and he hasn't even called.” Hermione said walking into the kitchen and stopping dead. Harry was sitting at the kitchen table with Lily in his lap staring at Hermione. “Harry, I didn't know you were here.”

“Obviously.” Harry said putting Lily back into her seat and standing up. “I think I'm ready to talk to you.”

“Alright,” Harry walked towards her and felt four pairs of eyes following him.

“Maybe in the living room,” Hermione nodded and followed Harry down the hall to the living room. Harry stepped over to the fireplace and stood leaning against the mantle piece for a minute before turning back to Hermione who was still across the room from him. “Okay so I've listened to you and now I want you to listen to me.”

“That's fair.” Hermione said taking a few steps towards him. She didn't want to be standing to close to the doorway - just incase people were listening from the kitchen.

“I was mad, when you first told me, I was mad because I felt like you had betrayed me.

“You had every right to be mad.” Hermione said though she knew he wasn't asking for her to justify his anger.

“Yes I did, but then when I started thinking about it I was more hurt then mad. Hurt because you kept them from me,” Harry paused here not sure how to continue what he was trying to say without brining the pain back. Hermione nodded her head showing she understood what he was saying and encouraging him to keep going. “But no matter how I was feeling I shouldn't have left you in the dark this past week. I should have talked to you.”

“Well, you're here now - talk to me.” Hermione crossed the room completely now and was standing just in front of Harry.

“I don't really understand what I'm feeling - I mean what you did with the Pensive, that was great I really, really appreciated that because at least now, in some small way, I've shared in those memories.”

“Uh-hu.” Hermione nodded - that had been the idea.

“And I love them - I don't know how I can love them so much, but I do.”

“I felt the same way when they were born.”

“And I don't want to lose them now that I know I have them. I also don't want to lose my best friend again.”

“So what are you saying Harry?”

“So I'm saying you can't leave again Hermione. I want to be a part of their lives. They're my children too. You can't just take them away. I want to have a family Hermione and you and me and those two are a family - we may not be much of one yet, but we are one and that's something I've always wanted.”

“I don't want to take them away Harry - they are great kids I want you to know them.”

“Well I want you and the twins to stay. I want you guys to come and live at number twelve with me. That way I'll be able to spend as much time with them as possible.”

“That sounds great Harry.”

“But I want you to understand something going into this. I'll probably never get over you not telling me, but you were young and doing what you think is best and I understand that. I know you Hermione and I know you'd never intentionally hurt me. I'm still your best friend, but it's going to take time for me to fully forgive you - to fully trust you again.”

“I understand Harry.”

“Good because I want to be honest with you.”

“Oh, but what am I going to do about the shop and my house?”

“Sell the house.”

“And my shop?”

“Give it to Meredith to run, she loves the place and has been working there as long as you have.”

“I guess I could do that, but it'll take time.”

“Do it, take all the time you need, just come back this time.” Harry said cupping her cheek in his hand and smiling at her.

“I will Harry, I promise I will.” Hermione said nodding her head and smiling at him.

Chapter 10 reviews: izzieq - Hermione is not trying to be the martyr she's trying to explain to Harry how hard it was oh well - you'll see how it goes if you keep reading Mani12191 - : ) spaz141 - I'm glad you liked Harry's reaction - it actually took me a while to get it to where I thought it was right Mistress Desdemona - yeah I do add movements with the dialog when I see them move around - like when I picture it in my mind you know, but hey I'm glad you liked it and I'll work on adding more movement. Alorkin - well maybe, but I think Harry's temper in OOTP has a lot to do with his mental connection with Voldemort and the fact that Harry is a hormonal teenage boy so I would think he might grow out of most of that by the time he's twenty-eight. But that's just my opinion

Chapter 11 reviews: Tay - I'm glad you liked it so much izzieq - he didn't forgiver her - he just finds it hard to stay mad at her - there is a difference Mani12191 - : ) spaz141 - I could have gone the other way with the pensive, but I think Harry would understand it as a sign that she is trying to give him back a little of what she had taken - but I have to tell you I have no intention what so ever of making Harry a schmuk he'll be a bit of a sap at times but that's to be expected div - you shouldn't cut onions while reading - it's just not smart people will think the story had touched you or something - lol - no Harry and Hermione wont be getting together just yet - Hermione hasn't even realizes she likes him yet Austenlover - well no Hermione hasn't married, but she doesn't realize she loves Harry so she has to get over that hurtle first - as for how they're going to get together I'm not going to tell you so : P sertad - yes they have Harry's last name, but Hermione always told them their name was Granger and that's the name that they went by with doctors and school ect. So the kids didn't know that was their last name if that's what you were thinking and eventually Harry and Hermione will admit they love each other - I am posting the story on portkey after all : ) Tomlove01 - : ) traydr vic - well now he didn't forgiver her he just can't stay mad at her - he's still upset and hurt, but he's gotten over the anger part ginnymalfoy21 - I didn't think it was all that fast tracked, but hey I'm glad you like it anyway Alorkin - yeah I was thinking that it would mean a lot to him - help make up for what he had missed out on Lajo1013 - thank you very much - I'm trying laila - so what you liked it? Lol - I'm just kidding I'm glad you like it so much : ) Shadow Star Dragon - : ) Chancellor - : ) LinNicole - : ) Harry&Hermione4ever - ever so soon JayaMioneDurron - I don't know what your talking about *looksinnocent* hehehe - I'm glad you like it Blueeyes - did you get my email? Oh well - I'm glad you like it Ravaran - : ) Beppo - well no it's not that Hermione and Ginny didn't think Harry would want it Hermione just thought it would be easier for Harry Jillian84 - : ) star hh5 - : ) Lauren-Daniel - I'm glad you like it, but how am I supposed to let you know when it comes out? Oh well I guess I'll figure it out MooMooAshley - : )

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13. This Could Get Awkward

This Could Get Awkward

It took Hermione and the twins only a month to pack up the house, put it on the market, and get it sold. She had kept it in good order and it was in a great neighborhood so she wasn't really surprised. Her friend Meredith said she would be more then happy to take over the shop, as it was like her second home. And like that they were on their way back to England, with no plans to return.

Hopefully everything would go well and her children would have a family.

Harry had worked hard over their month apart to get the house ready for his new family. He scrubbed out three bedrooms that hadn't been used in ten years, making them livable again. He even cleaned out the office-type room so Hermione could use it for the writing he knew she loved to do, but never talked about.

“You did all this for me?” Hermione asked as Harry showed her the office. There was a large desk in one corner and the walls were lined with bookshelves.

“Well I never used the space and I knew you would.”

“Thanks, I think the kids love their rooms by the way.”

“I'm glad they do”

“It will take them a while to get use to working without electricity. Though I think they'll like the not going to muggle school thing.”

“Well you know this is a muggle neighborhood we could bring in some power for them if you wanted.”

“No, they'll live, it'll take some adjusting, but they'll survive.”

“It's good to have you back in my life Hermione.” Harry said softly, turning from the room and walking off before she could respond. She was glad to be back in his life as well, but the way he said it made her think this meant something more. Hermione shook it off; maybe she was just reading more into it then was there.

The process of moving in took most of the day. Hermione helped Lily while Harry helped James. It didn't get any of Hermione's things put together but it got the kids settled and she decided that that was more important. Around five Hermione left Lily to her work and went down to the kitchen to make dinner.

At dinner Harry told Lily and James all about his career and life over the past nine years. It kept them on the edge of their seats all through the meal. After dinner Hermione went to work on her office and bedroom while Harry spent time with the twins.

At around seven, when she decided her office was organized enough for the time being so she went to check on Harry and the twins. They were sitting on a couch in the sitting room looking at the photo album Harry had full of pictures of his parents. The photo album was in his lap and Lily and James were on either side of him with their heads leaning on him.

“How are you three doing?” Hermione asked leaning on the doorframe, her arms crossed across her chest, watching them. Before she could stop herself a large smile appeared on her face. Her children had their father and the three of them had bonded so fast it was like Harry had always been a part of their lives.

“Good,” Harry said looking over his shoulder to her. Seeing her smile Harry's smile, which seemed to be attached to his face since she and the twins moved in, broadened. He motioned for her to join them in the room, but she shook her head and mouthed to him “This is your time.”

“Have you seen this book Mum?” James asked from the couch pulling the photo album out of Harry's hands and holding it up for Hermione to see.

“Parts of it,” Hermione said smiling at James.

“Well I was just telling them about finding Sirius. When I found out that he was the best man at my parents wedding I ran back to my room and looked at this picture. It was the first time I had seen a picture of him where he wasn't laughing like a maniac…” And Harry plunged into the story of his godfather - one of two stories that Hermione had never told them. Though she had been closely involved in saving Sirius it wasn't really her story to tell.

Hermione watched Harry as he told his children about the closest thing to a father he had ever had. Lily and James listened intently. They were completely wrapped up in Harry's life, as were most people who heard any of the sorted details, but unlike with most people Harry seemed to be enjoying sharing his life with his children. She watched in awe as Harry easily took on the roll of being their father.

Perhaps she had underestimated Harry all those years ago. Maybe he would have been able to handle the responsibility of being a parent and a Quidditch player. Watching the three of them on the couch Hermione couldn't imagine how she lived her life so long without Harry.

For her children's sake of course.

But he was so cute when he was with them. There was a sparkle to his eyes that was only there when his children were around.

Wait, since when is Harry cute? Hermione thought to herself as she turned from the room and walked back to her office. She didn't think of Harry like that, she never had. He was her best friend and the father of your children. Well of course he was that, but that didn't mean anything. She had been with him all those years ago because he was her friend and he asked.

But no, he didn't ask, you offered. Yes she had offered, but only because Harry hadn't wanted to say it. That hadn't meant anything to her - had it?

No of course it hadn't, she'd known that since it happened - but, was that true? She had said that to herself so many times since the day she had been with Harry, said it so often that it came as a natural response. God, it happened so long ago she didn't really now what it meant anymore.

Harry had been nervous and timid and she greatly suspected that he didn't want to be a virgin anymore. He couldn't even undo her bra without help. But the way he kissed her and the way his hand felt against her thigh. I can't think that, Hermione said to herself trying to force the thoughts of Harry away. She had to live with Harry, for their children's sake, and she would be able to do that if she thought of the way he made her moan, or the way the green of his eyes deepened when he was full of passion.

All right, so maybe Harry meant more to me then I knew, Hermione thought as she sat down at her desk, but that was just a memory nothing more. Besides Harry didn't want anything more from her. All he wanted from her was for her to be his best friend and be the mother of his children. But was that all she wanted?

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14. No Way

Chapter 14: No Way

Harry awoke the next morning with a huge grin on his face. He felt incredibly happy. It was amazing to have Hermione back in his life, though not in the way he had expected. Then there were the twins. His children. His son James and his daughter Lily. He had only known about them for a month, only lived with them for a day, but they were what were making his heart swell. It was crazy that he loved two people so much; he barley knew them at all.

Still smiling his ridiculously wide grin, Harry got out of bed and took a quick shower. It was early, around half past six, but Harry went down to make breakfast anyway. It was his first morning making breakfast for his children. The simple thought of cooking for his family widened his smile.

“What's with the grin Potty?” A voice said from the kitchen fireplace. Harry turned to see Fred, or was it George, Weasley's face flouting in green flames.

“You wouldn't believe me if I told you.” Harry responded, putting the batter he was mixing down, and walking towards the fireplace.

“You're up early.”

“So are you.”

“Yeah well the baby woke me up and I thought I'd pop in and see if you were still running on your Quidditch schedule.” It was Fred, he and his wife Angelina had a two-month-old daughter named Olivia.

“So what's up?”

“Well George and I have some new products we want you to look at.” Harry had given them the money to start their joke shop and to this day was heavily vested in it. Fred and George liked to run new products past him.

“Sounds good.”

“So you'll come by the shop later?”

“Does noon work?”

“Yeah noon works.”

“Have fun with, Liv.”

“Oh I always do.” Harry smiled as Fred's head vanished. Fred was exhausted from waking up early, but Harry knew he wouldn't trade it for the world and now Harry understood why.

At half past seven Hermione wondered down into the kitchen. Harry greeted her with pancakes and eggs. She was famished and accepted the food gratefully.

“I don't know why I'm so hungry; I'm never this hungry in the morning.” Hermione said tucking into her food.

“Probably all the excitement of moving.”

“Yeah probably; Lily and James took to you quickly.” Harry smiled widely.

“Yeah they did.”

“I'm sorry I took them out of your life Harry - I'm glad that's changed.”

“Me too - so I talked to Fred a little while ago.”

“The baby woke him up early?”

“Yeah, but you can tell he's happy about it. Anyway he and George wanted to talk to me about some of their new products. I was thinking I could take Lily and James with me.” Hermione stopped eating and looked up at him, considering this carefully. Her possible rejection of his request made him mad. “They are my children too you know, I should be able to take them to see my friends.”

“Oh no Harry you're right they're your children and that's fine I'm just hesitant about them being around products that Fred and George haven't tested yet.” Harry's anger quickly evaporated.

“Oh well yeah don't worry about that I'll keep my eyes on them and we won't be in their workroom. We'll only be around things they've tested at least once.”

“That makes me feel better.” Harry nodded, Fred and George were great, but he wouldn't trust them as far as he could throw them.

When Lily and James came down to breakfast at eight Harry warmed up so food for them and told them his plans for the day. They were both excited. James wanted to meet Fred and George who he had heard about from his mother, though she had always spoken about them and their joke shop disapprovingly. Lily wanted desperately to see Diagon Alley.

At a quarter to noon Harry and the twins said goodbye to Hermione, who had organized her room and was now writing in his office, and went to Diagon Alley using the floo network. Lily was instantly taken in, she looked from store front to store front fascinated by absolutely everything. Harry assured her that they could look at the shops after they had been to Weasley Wizard Wheezes.

“Hey Fred, George you guys here?” Harry called as he walked into the store, his children right behind him.

“Yeah Harry, Fred's in the back and I'm just finishing up with this customer, then we'll close up the store so we can talk.”

“So I'll just wait upstairs, shall I?”

“Yeah that's fine, everything is set up, up there.”

“Alright.” Harry said motioning for James and Lily to follow him through the shop and to the backstairs. In the early years and before either of them was married Fred and George had lived in the apartment above the shop, their brother Ron had even bunked there for a few months. But now they had houses and wives and the apartment was abandoned. Well not abandoned exactly, they still kept some food there for when they were working, and used it when they were just hanging out with `the guys'.

Harry, Lily, and James had barley been upstairs for five minutes when they heard footsteps and voices coming up the stairs.

“Well I did warn him it would do that if he played with it.”

“Yes, but I don't think he could hear you warning him from across the room, while you were whispering.” The twins burst into laughter which stopped dead as they came upstairs and saw Lily and James. They stood there with their mouths hanging open staring from the twins to Harry.

“Fred, George these are my children Lily and James. Kids those two are Fred and George Weasley. Ron and Ginny's older twin brothers.

“Hi,” Lily and James in unison. Fred and George were so shocked they couldn't even say Hi back.

“Well how about you guys go look at some of there new products, just don't touch anything because your mother would kill me, while I talk to Fred and George quickly.” Harry said. Lily and James nodded and walked over to the long table the twins had set up.

“What? Who? How?” Fred and George managed to stammer out as they walked towards Harry.

“Well Fred you do have a child of your own, you should know how.”

“No, I mean how do you have kids that old that we don't know about?! And who's their mother?!”

“Hermione, their mother, didn't tell me about them until a month ago after my last game.”

“Hermione!” They said in unison.

“Yeah, we had this one great night just before we left school. You guys remember that night we went out to dinner to celebrate me making the team?”

"Yeah." the twins said in unison

"Well apparently that's the day she found out. She came to my house to tell me, but when I told her about making the team she decided I deserved to have a life and decided not to tell me."

"Oh wow."

"Yeah - that's why she would never let any of us visit her or come back here for a visit."

"So what about you two? Ron told us you were going to tell her how you felt after the game."

"Well I didn't tell her obviously."

"Why not?"

"Because I was upset and I felt betrayed."

"But don't you still feel the same about her?"

"Of course I do."

"So?"

"So I want to tell her, but I don't know, now I have the twins to consider. If we started dating and things didn't work how would any of this work? I think it's best if for right now she and I just stay friends."

“No way.” Fred and George said together and then George continued, "Harry you have to tell her."

"Yeah you've had ten years of bad relationships because of how you feel for Hermione, though now that we know about you 'one great night' it makes a bit more sense. You have to tell her."

"I want to I really do."

"Then do it."

"It's not exactly that easy. She and the twins are living with me now so that I can spend time with them and I'm afraid if I tell her she'll move out and I'll barley get to see my kids. I can't risk that now. I'll give it some time."

“Well," George said after a long pause, "we can only keep the shop closed for so long. So let's get down to why we asked you here.” Harry nodded and they joined Lily and James at the table.

Fred and George showed them each product one by one. They were brilliant of course. Harry could tell the products were aimed at Hogwarts students. There were a couple of new Skiving Snackboxes, wristbands that made the wearer invisible the only problem with them being that the affects wore off, and numerous amounts of other products.

An hour later, with plans to meet them next Friday for dinner with the entire Weasley clan, Harry said goodbye to Fred and George and led Lily and James down to Gringotts. While helping them unpack Harry had noticed a few things they didn't have that he would like to by them. Harry also wanted to set up accounts for them so that when they went to Hogwarts they would have some spending money put aside for them (though Harry was going to keep their keys until then).

When they were done at Gringotts Harry took Lily and James to every store they wanted to see. Lily spent a good forty-five minutes wandering through Flourish and Blots looking at almost every book she got her hands on. They also looked at broomsticks in Quality Quidditch Supplies, but Harry didn't think he should buy them brooms without talking to Hermione first. Their last stop was The Magical Menagerie where Harry bought them each an owl. He knew when he got back to number twelve Hermione would get mad at him for spoiling them, but he didn't care. Buying them books and owls wasn't going to do any damage.

Hermione was amazed by the stuff Harry had bought Lily and James. She already owned most of the books Harry bought Lily, but Lily had wanted copies of her own. The owls were a bit much, but they had always loved animals and she knew they would take good care of them. While Lily and James were settling Eros and Thor -- Harry thought those were very strange names for owls, but his owl was named Hedwig so he couldn't talk --into their rooms and introducing them to Hedwig. Not until later did Harry and Hermione talk about getting the twins brooms.

Harry thought it was a good idea since they both wanted to fly. Hermione wasn't so sure; she had never been a big fan of flying herself so the concept of her kids wanting to fly failed her. But more then being confused she was concerned. They wouldn't be able to fly anywhere around number twelve, the muggles would see them. Then there was the concern for their health. Hermione was sure Harry would do what he could, but he couldn't guarantee that they wouldn't get hurt flying.

“You're right Hermione,” Harry assured her. “I can't guarantee they won't get hurt flying, but I also can't guarantee that they won't hurt themselves walking down the stairs.”

“But this is different,” Hermione insisted. “This is putting them in a dangerous situation on purpose. You know how many injuries you got from Quidditch.”

“Probably hundreds, but that was playing Quidditch, not flying - there is a difference.” Hermione could see she was being stupid, but she didn't want to admit it. “Hermione I'll be with them the entire time, they'll be safe.” Harry said taking her hands gently, asking her to trust him. She caved almost immediately.

“Alright Harry, I know they'll be safe if they're with you.” Harry smiled at her before wrapping her in a one armed hug.

“Thanks Hermione, for trusting me.”

“They are your children.”

“Yeah, but I wanted to make sure it was alright with you before I told them yes. I figured this was the kind of decision parents make together.” Harry said looking thrilled as he did the nervous kind of dance where he looked from her to the door and shuffled his feet. He looked like an excited child.

“Well go on then,” Hermione said ushering him towards the door. “Tell them they can have their brooms.” Harry smiled as he turned towards the door and left. Hermione loved seeing that smile.

AN: :::raises an eyebrow at Hermione::: oh you do do you? I don't know about these two and not saying how they feel - oh well all things come in there time - which is coming up

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15. Dinner and Family

Chapter 15: Dinner and Family

“Hermione, if we don't hurry we're going to be late.” Harry called from the bottom of the stairs. It was Friday night, the night of the big dinner with the Weasleys. Hermione was up in her room changing for the millionth time.

“We won't be late, it only takes twenty minutes to get to the Burrow.” Hermione called back.

“What are you doing? The Weasleys don't care how you look.”

“I know that.” Hermione said hurrying down the stairs. This time she was wearing a fitted white shirt and dark jeans. “I'm just nervous. I'm not dressing to impress them I just keep changing out of nerves.”

“You keep telling yourself that.” That comment earned him a slap on the arm. “Hey I was only teasing, besides you look great and that's what's important.”

“Thanks, so where are Lily and James?”

“Waiting for us in the hall.”

“We'll than we better be going or we'll be late.” Hermione said walking past him and down to the front door.

“Isn't that what I just said?” Harry asked her retreating back. She didn't even respond she just pulled on her coat and held out Harry's to him. Harry shock his head, women did that kind of crap on purpose.

The twenty minute drive did nothing to settle Hermione's nerves. In fact with every passing moment she felt her stomach tighten. What were they going to say about all this? Would Molly and Arthur accept James and Lily? Would they judge Harry and her for being reckless teenagers? She tried to focus on anything other than her building dread. She looked out her car window to the clear night sky, the sun just meeting the horizon, bringing the sky to life with bright shades of orange and red. It was a great night - she only hoped it stayed that way.

“Well, we're here.” Harry said as he turned off the car in front of the Burrow. The butterflies in Hermione's stomach doubled as he said that. “Hey are you alright?” Harry asked reaching across the car and taking her hand.

“I'm just so nervous.” I like the feel of his hand on mine.

“Molly and Arthur will love them.” Harry said squeezing her hand encouragingly.

“I'm more worried about how they'll treat us. I feel like I'm going to my parents knowing that I've misbehaved and expecting a punishment.”

“They have kids; they know teenagers make impetuous decisions.”

“Right.” Hermione said nodding her head, but Harry knew she didn't believe him.

“Besides Hermione, look at what we got from our `impetuous decision'.” Harry said nodding towards the backseat where Lily and James were sitting. They were both reading quietly, so wrapped up in the books they were reading that they hadn't even noticed the car was stopped.

“Yeah,” Hermione said softly as she looked at her children. Molly and Arthur wouldn't get mad at them, not once they met James and Lily.

“Well come on than.” Harry said, this time loud enough to get the attention of the twins. They looked up at him in unison. “We're here.”

“Daddy, will you carry me?” Lily asked in a sweet voice as Harry opened her door for her.

“Of course I will.” Harry said reaching out his arms to her. Lily settled on his hip and put her head on his shoulder. “Are you tired?” He asked her softly stroking her hair.

“No, I just want you to carry me.”

“Be careful Harry or you'll spoil her.” Hermione said taking James by the hand. Harry looked to her and winked, she smiled in return and the four of them walked across the front yard to the door.

The Burrow looked just as Hermione remembered it; friendly and welcoming. It was still a bit lopsided and if she hadn't know it was held up by magic she was sure it would fall over. The yard was still wild and unkempt thought there were no chickens. It felt good to be back where she had so many happy memories.

“Hey Harry, we're eating out back.” George said pulling open the door after Harry knocked. He nodded his head towards the back door signaling that they should go through the kitchen. George waved to Lily as Harry walked through the door passed him and she waved back.

“Hermione, it's great to see you.” George said wrapping her in a one armed hug. “You've been busy since we last saw you.”

“Yeah well having twins will do that to you - just ask your mother.”

“Come on out back, everyone is anxious to see you again.”

“You didn't tell them did you?”

“About Lily and James? No we didn't tell them. Neither did Ron or Ginny.”

“Why don't we go outside? That way you can explain to everyone all at once.” George suggested holding open the back door for them. Harry went through first with Lily and then Hermione and James.

The back garden was just as Hermione remembered it; overgrown in places with lots of untamed plants and weeds. Sitting in the middle of the garden were three tables surrounded by people. Some Hermione knew some she didn't. Looking around Hermione saw that the garden was full of people, including five boys with violently red hair of various ages playing tag. There parents were sitting around the table talking to Luna who was as big as a house and looked like she was about to burst.

“Harry, Hermione.” Ginny said stepping away from the table and calling everyone's attention to Harry and Hermione. “It's wonderful to see you.”

“It's great to see you too.” Harry said, he hadn't had many chances to see Ginny since her wedding two years ago. “How far are you now?”

“Five months.” Ginny said patting her prominent belly. “And how are you little Lily?” Ginny asked stroking Lily's head lightly.

“I'm fine.”

“You see those boys over there?” Ginny asked pointing towards her five nephews.

“Yeah.”

“Those are my nephews. Would you like to go play tag with them?

“Okay.” Lily said getting down out of her father's arms.

“Okay.” Ginny echoed. “Should we ask your brother to come with us?”

“I guess.” Lily said stubbornly and Ginny laughed.

“It is the nice thing to do.” Ginny said offering her free hand to James. He took it and Ginny led the twins over to where her nephews were playing. Harry and Hermione turned to the table and found eight people looking at them in complete shock.

“Hi, we can explain.” Hermione said and for what felt like the millionth time launched into an explanation of the choices she made ten years ago. The Weasley's listened intently thought none of them spoke Hermione could tell Percy was having a hard time avoiding giving them a lecture.

“So that's why you left so long ago?” Charlie asked seemingly unfazed by the news.

“Yeah at the time I didn't know what else to do.”

“You could have come to us Hermione,” Molly said somewhat stiffly rising from her seat at the table and hugging her.

“I see that now, I was just afraid.”

“She could have come to me for that matter,” Harry muttered.

“Yes then you two could have gotten married and your children would have a proper family.” Percy said causing Hermione to glare at him.

“It's not our place to judge,” Penelope, his wife, said patting his arm.

“Yes Percy I think we've all made decisions we regret.” Hermione said coldly, referring to the year long separation between Percy and his family when he decided to chose his loyalty to his job over his loyalty to his family.

“Let's not get into any of this now,” Arthur said softly causing everyone to look at him. “We haven't seen Hermione for ten years. Let's not pass judgment, let's just eat and catch up.”

“That sounds good.” Bill said moving over so that Harry and Hermione could sit down between him and Luna.

“Boys, Lily, James - it's time for dinner.” Molly called over to the children. Her grandsons came running to the table and settled around their parents. They were followed shortly by Lily and James who seemed to realize already that Molly Weasley was not someone to disobey.

As they settled into their meal Hermione looked around the table thinking of all the things she had missed out on over the past ten years. All the Weasley children were married and starting families of their own and she had missed out on being a part of that.

She looked to Bill, the oldest Weasley brother, he had married the part-veela witch Fleur Delacour and they had two boys; a 5-year-old named Bryan and a 3-year-old named Kyle. Hermione noticed that upon closer inspection both boys had muted red hair, not nearly as fiery as the rest of the family, and looked remarkably like their mother. Hermione suspected that when they went to school they would be real heart breakers.

Then she looked to Charlie he was sitting with his muggle wife Miranda and their 6-year-old son Arthur. Little Arthur, as the family called him, was the eldest of the Weasley grandchildren and seemed to be smart like his father. He had the Weasley's red hair and brown eyes like his mother.

Percy, Hermione's least favorite Weasley brother was sitting directly across from her with his wife Penelope who had been his girlfriend at Hogwarts. They had 4-year-old twin boys named Geoffrey and Adam. It pleased Hermione greatly to see that Percy's boys were more like their uncles then their father. They laughed constantly and according to Ginny loved to play jokes.

Hermione looked over at Fred and his wife Angelina. Fred was whispering into her ear and she was laughing. Hermione searched the table for their two-month-old Olivia; she was in her Aunt Ginny's arms. Ginny was cooing over her and calling her the new princess of the family.

“At least I've been dethroned by a beautiful little girl.” Ginny said softly and Hermione had to admit it was true. Olivia was very beautiful, like her mother. She stood out from her cousins with a startling contrast seeing as she was half black and didn't have red hair.

Just as Hermione was turning to survey George and his wife Lauren George stood to announce that he was going to be a father in about eight months. The entire table cheered. The cheering grew more intense as Bill stood up to announce that he and Fleur were expecting again as well.

“It will be a girl this time, I am sure of it.” Fleur said proudly when the cheering and congratulations had died down.

“If it isn't we can always try again.” Bill joked and his wife laughed childishly.

“She always laughs like that at his jokes,” Luna whispered in Hermione's ear. “It's as if she thinks they're still dating and she has to find him funny. I think it's awfully childish. Hermione could I ask you something?”

“Of course Luna.”

“How did you know when you were in labor?”

“Well it was the middle of the night and I was having these really intense cramps and then my water broke.”

“And what did that feel like?”

“My water braking?”

“Yeah.”

“A bit like I'd just peed myself. It took me completely by surprise and I wasn't sure that was what it was until I noticed the cramps were becoming more intense. Why?”

“Because I think my water has just broken.” Hermione turned suddenly to her.

“You can't be serious.” She whispered not to alert anyone if it wasn't necessary.

“I think so, I've been having contractions all day which is normal as far along as I am, but I think my water just broke.”

“Well tell Ron.”

“Right,” Luna turned to her husband and whispered softly in his ear.

“What!” Ron said jumping up and managing to fall over at the same time.

“I was afraid he would react like that.” Luna said calmly.

“You're in labor!” Ron said managing to pull himself up.

“Um,” Luna said grimacing through a contraction, “yes I think I am.”

“Oh dear, let's get you upstairs.” Molly said standing up from the table. She had done this before, with seven children of her own and six grandchildren, she knew what to do. Luna nodded, she was ready for this.

“What a way to be welcomed back to the family.” Harry muttered as they watched Molly help Luna into the house.

“Yeah,” Hermione muttered back.

AN: one of my favorite lines in this story comes up in the next chapter - when you read it I'm sure you'll know why

Chapter 12 reviews: Jenna Kathleen - your just ganna have to take that up with portkey I can't control you getting your email updates - lol - anyway the problem with giving you chapter 21 is now I have to write chapter 22, dame it all - lol Mochie - : ) spaz141 - now see everyone suggests that I leave the kids with Harry for that time, but he's a new parents (as bad as that is) and I know that he would be all that comfortable taking care of these kids for an undetermined about of time by himself, but don't worry things aren't always going to be easy Chancellor - maybe Rosali - exactly mwood2182 - : )

Chapter 13 reviews: Spaz141 - : ) Chancellor - can I tell you that every time I write your name I think star wars, anyway yes they are KJ Bridgerton - I know how you feel Rosali - : ) mwood2182 - : )

Chapter 14 reviews: ginnymalfoy21 - : ) fairyp80 - not really she does what she did in book four acts like everything is fine while inside she's very upset div - Ginny and Draco doesn't happen until like chapter 28 `cause Draco doesn't even come into the story till chapter 27 so be patient spaz141 - I agree with them too izzieq - things wont always be easy for these two - just wait till we get to the first date Favo de Mal - : ) Reddy -I didn't really watch that show so I wouldn't know, but hey you are more then welcome to laugh I've never said you couldn't I in fact encourage people to laugh as often as possible Chancellor - I'll give you a big hint it's called chapter 16 - no they don't get together then, but…well just read and you'll see what I mean oh and this story is going to be 34 chapters long - though I am playing with the outline maybe it'll be 35 - I haven't decided abraxas - yeah it's not all that likely, but it makes for good story telling KJ Bridgerton - : ) Mani12191 - it does indeed star_hh5 - : ) sweetie513 - no one told him and he stayed away to let Hermione “live her life” so to speck Tomlove01 - : ) Rosali - you're not being annoying you have genuine questions and that is just fine - as this is portkey Harry and Hermione will end up together, but they will have some things happen between then and now that's aren't going to be so happy Alorkin - well he thought Hermione wasn't trusting him and that he wasn't going to be allowed to make decisions about them so he overreacted a bit, but I get where you're coming from mwood2182 - : ) JayaMioneDurron - : ) Tay - yeah it is dumbles - yeah my brain is a little weird like that for instance I used to mix up like and lick, but yeah I'm working on that no problem with the constructive criticism - it's always welcome, and I'm glad you're are liking the story Misadies1 - well I try sertad - : ) harrynmione - maybe they both do HHRLVR - I wont I promise paochi_cute - : )

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16. What It Would Be Like

Chapter 16: What It Would Be Like

Luna's labor lasted nearly eighteen hours. Ron asked Harry and Hermione to stay through the whole thing; he wanted his friends there for this moment in his life. So they asked Ginny and Daniel to watch James and Lily and were up in the room with Luna and Ron. The first boy was born at one in the afternoon. They were all exhausted, especially poor Luna, but the room brightened up instantly when the baby came into the world. Ron started to cry as he held his son in his arms. It was a beautiful moment; one Hermione could tell Harry wanted to have had for himself. Watching him Hermione deeply regretted taking the moment away.

By two o'clock the following afternoon Harry Weasley and his two brothers Jason and Oliver had been born and Luna was lying flat in the bed completely drained of energy. Harry, Hermione, and Ron weren't much better off. Ron was trying to manage his three sons while not disturbing his wife, who was finally getting some much deserved, and needed, rest.

Harry and Hermione had offered to stay and help, but Ron knew they had no more energy than he did and told them they could leave. They gave the babies a once over-- they all looked exactly like Ron-- and promised him they would be back to help him once they had had some sleep. Once they got home it took them no time at all to fall asleep; the moment Hermione got into her room she fell into her bed fully dressed.

Hermione woke up to sunlight pouring into her room. It was the early morning of the day and she had to pee furiously. But that's what happened when you were six months pregnant with twins. She waddled across the room as quickly as she could and into the bathroom. When she had finished she decided she would be able to go back to sleep so she might as well take a shower and get ready for the day. Hermione picked out the maternity clothes that made her look the least like a frumpy old maid and took a quick shower.

The next step after getting herself ready was getting the children ready. Her oldest Lily and James were at school so she didn't need to worry about them, but her three-year-old son still needed a good bit of help in the morning. The hardest part about taking care of little Evan was that her husband wasn't there to help her. He was off on his job. Working as an Auror kept Harry away from his family for weeks at a time, but they were both hoping that this mission would be his last until the new twins were born. His boss had promised he would try to make that hope a reality.

Hermione walked out of her room and down the hall to Evans room. He was already awake, which didn't surprise her at all, sitting on the floor with his model broomstick. Hermione smiled at him from his doorway; he, like all her children, looked exactly like her husband. He had the dark hair and the green eyes he even wore glasses like his father.

"Come on little man it's time for breakfast." Hermione said and Evan jumped up immediately.

She lifted him carefully onto what little of her hip wasn't obscured by her baby belly and carried him downstairs. Every time Hermione walked into her kitchen she was glad they had moved out of number twelve Grimmauld Place; it was a nice house, which they still owned, but it was far to dark and secretive. This house suited them much better.

She poured Evan some juice and started making him his usual breakfast of cinnamon oatmeal. Hermione was so busy she didn't hear her husband appear in the next room. Evan saw him, but Harry put a finger to his lips to stop his son saying anything. He walked up behind Hermione, wrapped his arms around her (as around her as he could get them), and kissed her neck softly.

"Harry!" Hermione said completely taken by surprise.

"Don't get too worked up, we don't want you going into early labor." Harry said as she turned around in his arms. Hermione ignored his comment and kissed him passionately, she hadn't seen him in three weeks.

"Oh love I missed you." Hermione breathed between kisses.

"I missed you too." Harry said when she finally released his lips. "Oh and I missed you." Harry said turning to Evan, scooping him out of his chair and zooming him around the room. Evan laughed madly.

"I missed you Daddy." Evan managed to say between laughs.

"Hey, put him down its time for breakfast." Hermione said scooping oatmeal into three bowls and putting it on the table. She poured some juice for herself and Harry and the three of them settled down to eat. Harry looked extremely tired, but happy to be home.

When breakfast was over Evan hurried off to dress himself, giving his parents some time to spend alone. As he left the room Hermione put her feet up into Harry's lap and he started to rub them without really thinking.

"Oh I think I missed this more than I missed you." Hermione said moaning softly.

"That's nice." Harry said sounding hurt, but he didn't stop rubbing, in a few months this woman would have carried the five of his children inside her; the least he could do was rub her feet.

"So?"

"So, I followed him all the way to Rome this time."

"And you caught him?"

"Naturally; you know it really is a pity that Malfoy went insane."

"Since when do you pity Draco Malfoy?"

"Well you know he was brilliant, he could have helped us a lot."

"Except for that whole, being crazy thing."

"Yes well there is that. I just feel sorry for him you know. He has a son who will never know him because the rogue Death Eaters tortured him into insanity and every six months he brakes out of St. Mungo's and goes on a rampage."

"At least he isn't dangerous when he rampages."

"Well not to other people, only himself."

"What was he doing this time?"

"Painting, as always, and pulling his hair out."

"He was pulling his hair out?"

"In handfuls and running through the streets of Rome as naked as the day he was born."

"Oh lord - however did you get him to come home this time?"

"I told him he was a brilliant painter and that I wanted him to come to my studio in London

"So you only half lied."

"Yeah, speaking of which I found a painting for your office."

"Another Malfoy original?"

"Of course, what other artist do I have unlimited access to?"

"So how did he react when you took him back to St. Mungo's?"

"About as well as he always does. Of course it was then that he remembered who I was and he promised me he would remember me, wouldn't be tricked by me again oh no, but you know he says that every time." Evan reappearing in his underwear wearing a pair of rain boots and one of Harry's ties cut their conversation short. They both burst into fits of laughter.

"No Evan, you can't go around dressed like this." Hermione said taking his feet out of Harry's lap.

"Let me help him love, you rest your feet."

"You better come back to do more rubbing." Hermione called after them. Harry threw one of his hands over his shoulder and shook it strangely; she took that to mean "yeah, yeah, in a minute" and smiled happily. She had such a perfect life. A husband she loved and who would rub her feet, and three beautiful children with two more on the way.

Hermione woke with a start. She was in her bedroom in number twelve, still in the clothes she was wearing the day before. It had just been a dream. She rubbed her hands over her stomach. It was completely flat; it had just been a dream. What a strange thing to dream. Hermione sat up and realized she was starving and that is was two in the morning, she had been asleep for nearly twelve hours. She changed out of the clothes she was wearing and into her pajamas; it was the middle of the night after all. Then she headed downstairs, the same familiar stairs of number twelve, another assurance that it really was a dream. An unnervingly realistic dream.

"Hi," Harry said from the table when Hermione came into the kitchen. He was scruffy about the edges and half asleep, but Hermione found herself thinking he looked quite sexy. Trying to shake those thoughts out of her head Hermione poured them both some coffee and sat down across the table from him.

"Hi Harry." Hermione said looking him over and finding it hard not to lean over and kiss him like she had in her dream.

"Thanks for the coffee. That was a long night." Harry said taking the mug from her.

"Especially for poor Luna, but the pain didn't seem to faze her."

"I don't think anything fazes her. You know I saw her at the end of fifth year, when I didn't go to the end of year feast, she was putting up signs looking for her things which apparently people took and hid from her."

"Really?"

"Yeah and she didn't even seem to care."

"Wow."

"Yeah. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure Harry."

"Was it like that with James and Lily? I mean the labor part of it."

"Well not exactly. I was in labor for nearly thirty hours with those two."

"You went through that for a day and a half."

"Yeah, but I was on enough pain killers to bring sown a race horse so I didn't really feel a thing."

"I'm surprised; I would never think you would go for the drugs."

"Well after about hour twelve I realized that I wouldn't be missing anything if I took them."

"Why did it take so long?"

"It just progressed really slowly and then it was eight hours between when I had James and when I had Lily."

"I knew there was time between them, but eight hours? Wow, have I thanked you for going through that?"

"No, but that's alright."

"I wonder how Ron is doing."

"I'm sure he's doing alright. I mean he's exhausted, but it's a good kind of exhausted."

"I wish I had been there to experience that." Harry said softly.

"I wish you had been too." Hermione said just as softly. Then they paused. Harry seemed on the verge of saying something while Hermione was thinking of the dream she had just had and how wonderful it had been. "Harry I have to ask you something."

"Anything Hermione."

"Have you ever wondered what it would have been like if we had gotten together after that night?" Harry looked at her as if she had said exactly what he was thinking.

"Everyday."

"Do you mean that?"

"Yes, everyday since you left I've thought about us. Why do you think I called you all the time? I realized you meant something to me when you were walking out of my life, but I didn't want to stop you. I couldn't. That's why I was desperate to get you to come to my last game, I was going to tell you how I felt then, but things came up."

"Secrets came up."

"Children came up. So did you ever think about us?"

"I wouldn't let myself then. I couldn't. If I had I would have caved and told you about the twins."

"And now?"

"Now I can't stop thinking about it. Whenever I let my guard down I think of how you look at me or just how you look or how you are with the twins. Then when I was sleeping just now I even dreamed about it."

"You dreamed about us?"

"We were married. We had a three-year-old son and I was pregnant with twins. I was a stay at home mum and you were an Auror. We had this perfect life." Harry reached across the table and closed one of his hands over hers.

"So, let me tell you what I was going to tell you after the Quidditch match."

"Alright."

"I can't believe I've lived ten years of my life without seeing you; it's been hell. I've gone from bad relationship to bad relationship trying to find what's missing. I realize now that you are what's missing. I want you back in my life Hermione."

"Children or not that would have made me stay." Hermione said pulling her hands out of his and walking around the table. He smiled at her and she smiled back.

"So maybe we could go out sometime?" Harry asked almost losing his voice as Hermione sat down next to him.

"I'd like that." She said before kissing him softly on the lips. It was only a little kiss, but they both felt something, something wonderful.

AN: That is more like it - it's about time

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17. This Feels So Strange

This Feels So Strange

It was a two-week interval between their kiss and anything actually happening. Harry was timid about making another move. Not because he thought she would say no, but because it felt so strange. It was Hermione. The goof, slightly bucktoothed bookworm he had met on the first train to Hogwarts. Yes he had strong feelings for her, very strong feelings for her, but he had known her for so long that he didn't know how to approach her. It was only because she had brought it up that he had felt confident enough to even talk about it. But he had pulled the ball into his court by asking her if he could ask her out sometime, and now that he had “the ball”, he wanted to give it back. He was just unsure, as ridiculous as that was.

Then there was the issue of timing; they day after they had kissed James and Lily returned to number twelve. Harry didn't want the children to know anything was happening between him and Hermione until he understood what was happening between them. He didn't want to get their hopes up and then disappoint them.

They were also busy helping with the triplets, who turned out to be a job for the whole family. Especially since Luna fell ill after giving birth; she got an infection that took four days to clear up and then she was too weak to do much. So everyone pitched in to help Ron, which took up a lot of time and energy.

Finally Harry worked up his courage while he and Hermione were “working the night shift”, which is what they called taking care of the triplets at night so that Ron and Luna could sleep.

Hermione was sitting cross-legged on a couch in the living room; she had baby Oliver in her arms and a book propped up against her knees. She was reading to him, and his brothers who were in a crib in front of her, in a soft voice. Harry was sitting across the room listening to her read.

“Explain to me why you are reading Cinderella to three boys?” Harry asked softly crossing the room and taking baby Harry, who was starting to fuss, out of the crib.

“The fairy tales have nice rhythms to them. It has nothing to do with what the story is about.”

“Oh,” Harry said sitting softly onto the couch next to Hermione and rocking baby Harry to sleep. “So did you read like this to Lily and James?”

“All the time. They loved the sound of my voice when they were babies. And I'll have you know that your son loved Cinderella.”

“Oh don't say that.” Harry said and Hermione laughed.

“You know what stories he liked the best don't you?”

“No, which stories did he like the best?”

“Stories about you - about our adventures at Hogwarts.”

“Really?”

“Of course, take out the fact that it was our lives and we had to suffer through some hard times and you have really great stories. Naturally I couldn't tell them the story of the Chamber of Secrets very well since I was petrified for most of it or the story of finding Sirius since he's your godfather, but you've already taken care of telling them that story.”

“Yeah I did.”

“You should offer to tell them about the Chamber of Secrets. I'm sure they would love to hear it.”

“I'll do that. Did I tell you they want to make muggle books about it all?”

“Really? Whatever for?”

“Well like you said great stories; the ministry said it had something to do with plausible deniability.”

“Oh, if someone blabs about the Wizarding world the government can point to the books and say that's where the idea came from.”

“Something like that. They asked for my permission, but I don't know whether I want to give it to them or not.”

“Why wouldn't you?”

“I think I'm famous enough for one lifetime.”

“You have a point there.”

“That would just be so weird if people knew all about my life.”

“People already know all about your life.”

“Well not all about my life, they don't know about the twins.”

“That's true.”

“Speaking of the twins, well really it was nothing to do with them, but I guess in general it's about them, but no not really -”

“Harry, you're rambling.”

“Sorry, sorry, alright. This really has nothing to do with the twins `cause I wanted to do this before I knew about them.”

“Just say it Harry.”

“I guess I'm just a little nervous is all. So um, will you go out with me?”

“Of course I will Harry, I told you that two weeks ago and I stand by it now. I want to go out with you Harry, I really do.” Harry couldn't help but smile. “Why were you nervous?”

“Well because it's you. I mean Hermione you're my best friend, the mother of my children, if things didn't work out between us -”

“Things will be great between us Harry and if in the end they don't work out we'll stay friends for James and Lily's sake.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I know how you make me feel Harry and I can't imagine that not working out.” Harry's smile broadened; carefully Harry stood up and returned little Harry to his crib before turning back to Hermione. “Would it be alright if I kissed you?”

“Yes.” Carefully Harry took Oliver from Hermione and lowered him into the crib with his brothers. Then he turned back to her; she had taken the book out of her lap and was standing up. Harry wrapped his arm around Hermione's waist and pulled her into him while capturing her lips in a sensuous kiss.

“Just so you know, you'll always have my permission to do that.” Hermione whispered softly when Harry pulled his lips off hers.

AN: okay so as far as I've written in the story this is the last short chapter. Okay so on with the date...

Chapter 15 reviews: Rosali - : ) spaz141 - Lily wasn't bothered by the way Ginny was talking to her so I'm not sure why you are and I've written other stories where Charlie is married to a Witch I guess you just haven't read those - thought that might be because I havn't posted them Jillian84 -: ) hrhermione - : ) diggingupophelia - : )

Chapter 16 reviews: Misadies1 - : ) Rosali - I do have a beta actually - I suppose I could use you as a second one if you wanted the job Tomlove01 - Ginny met her husband at a party about a year after she left Hogwarts and they were friends for a few years before they started dating - if you want Dan's history too I'd be more then happy to give it to you tabitoo - : ) Mochie - have you been reading ahead raises eyebrow `cause it sure as hell souds like you have Alorkin - one can only hope Mani12191 - : ) Coolone007 - : ) spaz141 - I have to tell you that the only person I have ever known who had triplets had them vagianlly in 12 hours so 18 didn't seem the strange to me anyway I know coffee at 2am is a little weird but they went to sleep at such a strange hour that they're bodyclocks are screwed up and 2am feels like 7 or 8am traydr vic - : ) fairyp80 - : ) Austenlover - I know it could have but I saw it as two chapters so that's how I worte it sertad - : ) Chancellor - : ) ginnymalfoy21 - it was just a dream - more or less ; ) JayaMioneDurron - yeah I never did like Percy - his character in book 5 didn't surprise me in the least - he always was a bit of a snakey character izziq - nope no unresolved issues here just complications and unexpected (or expected depending on how could you are at seeing what's coming) turns lannereddy - : ) div - as far as Draco goes you'll just have to wait and see `cause yeah - well it'll make sense when we get there - Draco himself will explain it all to us (so I guess that answeres the crazy question) Francat - no it wasn't but I agree that was pretty great Jillian84 - hope springs eternal : ) moonshine - : ) DreamAngel - not quite everyday, but pretty close Tay - my favortie line was “everyday” I think that was the best answer to Hermione's question princess_hana2003 - : ) hpgirl476 - : ) Lettherainfalldown - I've said it before and I'll say it again the chapters are what they are, these are the natural brakes I see in the story I can't change that, but we are getting to the point in the story where they are a good 10 to 18 pages long oh and the outline has jumped again the story will now be 35 chapters long

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18. That Went Well

That Went Well

“Are you sure you don't mind?” Hermione asked Ginny on Friday night as she changed for the millionth time. She and Harry were going out that night for dinner and dancing - their first real date. Ginny had volunteered herself and Daniel to watch James and Lily while Harry and Hermione were gone.

“Of course I don't mind Hermione; it'll be good practice for Daniel and I.” Ginny said from her position on Hermione's bed.

“Good practice for nine years from now?”

“Basically; Hermione you've tried that one on before.” Ginny said as Hermione came out of her closet wearing a skintight red dress.

“I know I was thinking of actually wearing it.”

“Well it looks great on you - I wish I could wear something that looked that good on me.”

“Ginny, your beautiful and you have a husband who loves you and thinks you look amazing in whatever you wear - what more do you want?”

“To have a flat stomach again.”

“You'll have one again soon enough.”

“I know, but I just feel huge.”

“Well you don't look huge,” Daniel said softly from the doorway.

“I couldn't have put it better myself.” Hermione said.

“Hey no double teaming me you two.”

“Okay Gin, you're fat and ugly - are you happy now.” Daniel said walking over to his wife and helping her off the bed.

“Well no, but I'd expect as much coming from you.”

“You married him.” Hermione said turning to face the two of them. “Do I really look alright?”

“You look great Hermione.”

“Not nearly as great as Ginny, but great none the less.” Daniel said smoothly pulling Ginny into his arms.

“Nice save, babe.” Ginny said kissing her husband softly.

“You have an audience,” Hermione said nodding towards the door. James and Lily were standing in the doorway with their mouths wide in shock.

“Have they never seen anyone kiss before?” Ginny asked softly as her face turned a bit red from embarrassment.

“Not like that.” Hermione said trying not to laugh, her kids had never seen anyone kiss -as far as she knew - and the looks on their faces were priceless.

“Mum, why are you so dressed up?” Lily asked getting over her shock.

“Your father and I are going out.”

“You mean on a date?” James asked in disbelief walking across the room to where his mother was standing.

“Is it so hard to believe that someone would want to go out with your Mum?”

“So you are going out on a date?”

“Listen you two,” Hermione said kneeling down slightly so she could look them in the eyes. “Your father and I are going out to dinner, for right now that's all you two need to know.”

“They are going out on a date.” Lily whispered to her brother and he nodded.

“They're just as nosey as you, Harry, and Ron were.”

“And just as good at inference,” Hermione said straitening up. Ginny nodded.

“Not that this mystery was hard to deduce.”

“True.”

“Mum, what's inference?”

“It means to figure things out; something your father, our friend Ron, and I were known for being a bit too good at.”

“You three were always getting into things that didn't concern you.” Ginny whispered and Hermione laughed; that was certainly true.

“Alright, I think I'm ready.” Hermione said looking at herself in the mirror one last time. “Just promise me something,” Hermione said turning back to James and Lily. “Promise you'll behave for Ginny and Daniel and no magic.”

“We promise.” James and Lily said, though Hermione could tell they didn't mean it.

“I'm serious you two, I want you to behave - if I get a bad report from them there will be no flying for a month.”

“Alright, we promise.” James and Lily said this time much more convincingly.

“Good, go on downstairs, your father should have dinner ready for you by now.”

“Okay.” They said in tandem and disappeared.

“You have to keep an eye on them; they are always up to something. They're always running around together and whispering.”

“It's great that they're so close though isn't it.”

“Yeah that's great, but they've got a wild streak in them, they are going to cause so much trouble at Hogwarts.”

“That should make Harry happy.”

“It'll definitely make him proud.”

“Are you ready Hermione?” Harry's voice called from down the hall.

“Yeah just a second.” Hermione called back. She quickly grabbed her purse and shawl before heading out into the hall, Ginny and Daniel right behind her. Harry was standing at the top of the stairs, wearing a fitted black sweater and black pants, his mouth hanging open slightly.

“You look beautiful.” Harry said softly as Hermione reached him.

“You look great yourself.”

“Ginny, Dan,” Harry said speaking over Hermione's shoulder at them. “Lily and James are down in the kitchen eating.”

“Alright.”

“Just get them in bed by nine, they'll protest, but that's life.” Hermione added as Harry took her hand and started leading her down the stairs.

“Okay, have fun you two.” Ginny called after them.

“We will.” Harry called back.

“So where are we going?” Hermione asked as they stepped out the front door into the cool night air.

“There's this great little restaurant down the road, they've got good food and enough room to dance.”

“Do you take all your dates here?”

“None actually, Ron and I found the place when he was living with me, about two months after you left. I go there all the time on my own, but I never took dates there because it's kind of a special place.”

“For special people.”

“Exactly. So Hermione -”

“Yeah Harry?”

“Does this feel weird to you?” Harry asked nervously thought Hermione had a feeling that wasn't what he wanted to say.

“No, not at all.” She said squeezing the hand that held hers. “Is it weird to you?”

“Maybe a little, thinking about our past and what we've been through - what we have together, it's just a little weird that we're just going out now.”

“I guess that is a little weird.”

“I want to tell you that you have done an amazing job raising James and Lily. They're smart, funny, and amazingly clever. They've turned out well.”

“Though they could do with an attitude adjustment.”

“No they're great kids and for the most part they've got good attitudes.”

“I really am sorry that -”

“Stop apologizing Hermione.”

“But I am sorry.”

“And I whish you had felt that you could tell me.”

“It's not that I -”

“Hermione I love them, but let's not make this about them. This night is just about you and me. What happened in the past with James and Lily is in the past, the important thing is that we are all together now.”

“I guess you're right. Oh I forgot to ask, is this place we're going a muggle restaurant?”

“Yeah, I didn't think you'd mind.”

“I don't I just wanted to be sure.” They walked the rest of the way to the restaurant in relative silence; just enjoying walking down the street hand in hand.

The came to the restaurant, Anduril, rather quickly as it was just down the road like Harry said. It was a small, hole-in-the-wall kind of place. A large dance floor and stage area where a talented band was playing occupied the main floor manly. Most of the tables were up on a balcony that could be accessed by a spiral metal staircase. It looked like a great place.

“Hey Harry.” The Hostess said as Harry entered after having held the door open for Hermione.

“Hi, Jenna.”

“You here with Ron?”

“No,” Harry said linking Hermione's arm through his and pulling her closer. “I'm here on a date.”

“Oh really? So who is this?”

“This is Hermione Granger.”

“Well it's nice to meet you Hermione Granger, Harry's in here all the time, but he never brings dates - you must be something special.” Hermione smiled weakly.

“Oh yeah and Hermione this is Jenna Johnson, she's been working here as long as I've been eating here.”

“Hi, Jenna.”

“So would you like your normal table or -”

“No I think upstairs would be better tonight.” Jenna nodded, grabbed two menus and started to lead them towards the stairs. “When Ron and I come here we normally sit down by the stage, but I think being away from the music will be nice so that we can talk.” Harry explained as they fallowed Jenna through the restaurant.

“That sounds good.”

“Will this be good for you?” Jenna asked putting their menus down on a table towards the back of the balcony.

“This'll be perfect.”

“Well I'll let Harry pull your chair out for you.” Jenna said stepping out of Harry's way.

“Oh sure put pressure on me.” Harry said pulling out Hermione's chair.

“So Geoff will be your waiter and he should be right up.”

“Thanks Jenna.”

“No problem Harry - it's my job. Watch him Hermione, he's quite the -”

“Don't you have work to do?” Harry said cutting her off.

“Yes, I do and so you know, I was going to say charmer.” Harry laughed as Jenna disappeared back down the stairs.

“So you weren't kidding when you said you came here a lot.”

“No, it's my favorite place to eat, except maybe the Burrow.”

“Harry - was that the Jenna you dated for seven months?”

“No, the Jenna I dated was like you and me, the Jenna who seated us is a Muggle.”

“Oh alright, if she is then that's fine.”

“No if she was I would tell you, she's not.”

“Okay.”

“Harry, you haven't been here in a while.” A thin, gangly man with long brown hair and blue eyes came striding towards their table - this must be Geoff.

“Hey Geoff, things have kind of come up.”

“But you're here now.”

“Yeah I am.”

“And with a beautiful women - jeez Harry how did you ever land a woman like her.”

“Excuse me?” Hermione asked, not liking the idea of being landed.

“Geoff, this is Hermione Granger. Hermione this is the smart-ass waiter Geoff Caren. He puts his foot in his mouth all the time - don't pay any attention to him.” Geoff seemed to cotton on to what he had said that was so wrong.

“Oh sorry about that, I was just giving Harry a hard time I guess I didn't think.”

“I guess you didn't.”

“I really am sorry.”

“Listen why don't we just order our drinks?” Harry said trying to ease the tension.

“That sounds like a good idea.” Geoff said liking the change of topic. They both ordered a drink and Geoff walked off feeling as if he had gotten off rather easy.

“Don't pay attention to him - I don't think of you like that. Geoff can be a complete ass and he never thinks before he speaks.”

“It's alright Harry I'll get over it.”

“Just know that I think I'm lucky to be out on a date with you.” Hermione couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face; that was one of the sweetest things she had ever heard. Geoff returned five minutes later with their drinks; he apologized to Hermione again, took their orders, and disappeared again while they started to talk.

Their conversation was relaxed and genuine. Even after seventeen years of friendship, eighteen on Halloween, they found stuff to talk about. Hermione's writing, Harry's carrier and prospects for the future, and dreams they had that they had never shared were just a few topics. The twins were the only topic they didn't broach, which was big for them because James and Lily seemed to be the only thing they could talk about as of late. On the whole it was the perfect date - that is until the dancing.

Now Harry had never been much for dancing. He wasn't the best at it, but over the years he had grown to enjoy attempting it and he loved the band that was playing. So being impetuous he reached out his hand for Hermione and led her down to the dance floor. They weren't the only ones venturing out onto the floor; the music was up beat and lively, so neither of them felt to embarrassed.

No inhabitations were an issue and honestly Hermione was impressed. She could remember the awkward fourteen-year-old Harry who didn't want to dance at the Ball - in fact he only danced the first dance and that was because he was obligated to. He wasn't all that bad either and she liked the way he reached out and grabbed her hips; guiding her so that the two of them were moving together to a particularly rousing song.

Then the song was over and the tempo changed. It was a slow song now. Harry looked to Hermione and she nodded, signaling that they should keep dancing. He smiled and pulled her body closer to his. Harry's arms slid around her waist, Hermione linked her arms behind his neck and her head settled on his chest.

“This is so nice.” Hermione whispered up to him.

“Yeah it is.” Harry said moving one hand from her waist and stroked her cheek softly. He pointed her face up towards him and started to lean down for the kiss. That was when it all went wrong. Hermione wasn't even sure how it happened. All she knew was that one-minute she was about to kiss Harry and the next she was on the floor. Harry was kneeling over her; apparently he had caught his balance just in time.

“Oh God Hermione I'm sorry I don't know what happened.” Harry said stepping back and offering her his hand.

“It's alright Harry.” Hermione said generously, it wasn't all right, but it wasn't his fault. Hermione took his hand and let him pull her up. Apparently when Harry stepped back he didn't step back far enough because his foot caught the hem of her dress and as he pulled her up there was a great ripping noise. The worst part about it all was that almost everyone in the restaurant was already staring at them and now they had quite a view.

“Sorry, Hermione, sorry.” Harry said stepping back even further.

“Do you think we could get out of here now?” Hermione asked trying to gather up her skirt enough so that is covered her.

“Alright Hermione I'll just go get our stuff and pay the bill.” And he rushed up the stairs to do just that. Hermione was left in the middle of the dance floor, smiling nervously around her. People were still staring at her and she could feel her face growing reader by the second. Harry came back down the stairs just as Hermione felt she was going to burst. He wrapped her shawl around her waist, affectively covering her up, and ushered her out of the restaurant.

“Come over here.” Harry said pulling her into a side ally. He pulled out his wand, muttered a quick spell, and her dress was repaired.

“Oh God Harry, I'm so embarrassed.” Hermione said slumping her head against his chest and starting to laugh. He tried hard not to laugh too, but in the end couldn't stop himself.

“I'm so sorry, I have no idea how that happened.”

“It's alright Harry, no permanent damage. Hey, I'm even laughing about it. I just don't think we'll be going back there anytime soon.”

“No I don't think we will.”

“So should we go home now?”

“Yeah.” Harry took Hermione's hand and, with both of them still laughing slightly, they started to walk back to number twelve.

“Hermione, that Jenna back at the restaurant -”

“Yeah?”

“I have to tell you something about her.”

“You lied to me and she is the Jenna you dated.”

“Well, no I didn't lie to you, she isn't the Jenna I dated for seven months, but I did date her. I just never told you about her.”

“Why ever not?” Hermione said offhandedly, so he had dated her that wasn't a big deal.

“Because I almost married her.” It was a much bigger deal then she had thought.

“What?” Hermione said pulling her hand out of his and stopping dead in her tracks.

“Listen its not a big deal.” Harry said taking her hand again, but Hermione pulled away - what was he saying?

“It is a big deal Harry. How could you not tell me something like that?”

“It was kind of a spur of the moment thing. We went on a few dates and I felt like I wanted to settle down, so I proposed.”

“How could you keep that from me, Harry you told me about every relationship you ever had, every one night thing, practically every kiss, I don't understand how you kept this from me.”

“God, Hermione it's not like you didn't keep a couple things from me,” Harry said his temper and his voice raising. She was blowing this way out of proportion. “Or are you forgetting that we have nine-year-old twin children at home that I've known about for what, less than two months!”

“So we're back to that.”

“Yeah we are since you brought up keeping things from you like I had committed some kind of sin. If I'm guilty because of it you sure as hell are!”

“That's different!”

“How, how is it different?”

“Well, um -”

“You see you can't think of anything because it isn't different!”

“Yes it is Harry. I kept James and Lily from you so that you could have a life! You were keeping your life from me! I thought I was your best friend!”

“And I thought I was the father of your children!”

“Oh this was a bad idea! I'm going back to number twelve now.” She turned her back on him and started to walk away. Luckily for Hermione she had a great sense of direction and would have no trouble finding her way back without him.

“That's great she knows she's wrong and she storms away, but she's storming away to my house!” Harry yelled after her.

“We could change that! I could take the twins and the three of us could just get out of your hair so that you and Jenna can be happy together!” Hermione yelled back without turning around.

“Don't you dare! If you take them out of my life again -”

“Oh what will you do?”

“I'll follow you around the world if I have to - I won't let you take them away again!” Harry called after her as she rounded a corner and disappeared. Harry stood in the street fuming.

“Who the hell does she think she is getting mad at me like that? It's not like she didn't keep secrets from me. Hell, the secret I kept from her didn't even have anything to do with her.” Harry muttered to himself. He started to turn back to the restaurant, maybe he should just go back and get Jenna - they had been great together. “No that's not what I want. I want Hermione.” So he turned back towards Grimmauld Place and started the trek home.

It took Hermione no time at all to reach number twelve. She was so angry with Harry. How could he not tell her that? You kept something bigger from him, you completely over reacted a reasonable voice said in the back of her head. Hermione shook it off; she wasn't about to admit, even to herself, that she had over reacted. Not wanting to think about it any more Hermione stormed into the house and, completely by passing Dan and Ginny in the sitting room, marched up the stairs. She tried to be as quite as she could, not wanting to wake the twins, as she got to her room and mentally slammed the door. Really she closed it quietly, but in her mind she slammed it closed and let out a loud scream of frustration. Hermione continued to fume as she walked into her closet and changed into her pajamas.

“Hermione, are you alright?” It was Ginny. Hermione walked back into her room and found Ginny standing in her doorway.

“No Ginny I'm not alright.” Hermione said flopping face down onto her bed. Ginny walked into the room and closed the door.

“What happened? Did the date go bad?”

“The date went well, Ginny. It went so well,” Hermione said turning over, “but then -”

“But then what?”

“But then we got into this huge fight.”

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes.”

“Why don't you tell me what happened.”

“Okay. Like I said it went well, at first. We went to Anduril, this really great restaurant, and we had great conversation. We talked about everything. Then we started dancing and that went well too, until Harry tripped and ripped my dress.”

“Oh is it ruined.”

“No it's fine, it was just very embarrassing. So anyway we left right after that. Harry pulled me in a side ally and fixed my dress and then we started walking home. That's when it happened.”

“The fight?”

“Yep, Harry picked that moment to tell me he'd been engaged.”

“So he told you about Jenna?”

“Yeah.” Hermione said realization washing over her; of course Ginny would know about Harry's engagement - she had been around when it happened.

“Well?”

“Well I started yelling at him for keeping that from me.”

“Don't you think you over reacted a bit?” Ginny asked sitting down next to Hermione.

“You sound just like Harry.”

“Well, Hermione - you did keep the twins from him.”

“But this was him keeping his life from me - like I wasn't worth trusting.”

“Now you know how he felt when he found out about James and Lily.”

“Whose side are you on?”

“I am on nobodies side - you're both my best friends.”

“You're not acting like it.”

“Hermione, I see where you're coming from, I really - really do, but you have to see the similarities.” Before Hermione could respond they heard a soft knock on the door.

“Gin are you in here?”

“Yeah I am love.”

“Can I come in?” Ginny looked to Hermione.

“Come in Dan.” Hermione called.

“Listen Hermione I don't mean to be rude, but Gin and I need to leave.”

“Why?” Ginny and Hermione asked together.

“Because Harry just got home and he's really upset and I don't think we should get in the middle of this.”

“Oh Dan's right, Ginny, you two should leave, at least till Harry calms down a bit.”

“Okay,” Ginny said as Daniel helped her off Hermione's bed.

“Thanks for taking care of James and Lily, they weren't too bad were they?”

“No, they were perfectly well behaved - honestly.”

“Goodnight you two.” Hermione said softly as she crawled under her covers.

“Goodnight Hermione.” Ginny whispered back as she closed the door behind she and Daniel.

“Is she sleeping?” Harry asked from down the hall. Ginny could hear the anger still resonating in his voice.

“Not yet. Listen, Harry, leave her alone for tonight - she's upset, just like you were.” Harry nodded - he could give her time if that was what she needed. “So the kids are in bed and I guess we'll be leaving now.”

“Okay, thanks guys.” They smiled before disappearing down the stairs. Harry stepped further down the hall; he heard the front door click open and then closed again as he reached Hermione's door: he didn't open it, go in, and set her straight, like he greatly wanted to. He stood there, one hand resting against it. That had not gone well.

AN: You guys are more then welcome to rant at me about Hermione over reacting as long as you keep in mind and that she and are aware of it even though she's not ready to admit it just yet.

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19. About Last Night

About Last Night

Hermione woke very early Saturday morning, half past five to be exact, and she hadn't slept well. She had even been crying in her sleep. Rubbing her eyes clean and opening them wide, Hermione shuffled over to her dresser. She looked in the mirror hanging over it and frowned. Her eyes were red and puffy, apparently Harry's secret keeping had affected her more then she thought. But that little annoying voice in the back of her head was right - she had overreacted. She had completely ruined their perfect date, well nearly perfect date, because she overreacted. What would happen between them now - she had no idea.

Hermione opened the bottom door of her dresser, pulled out three books, and walked down to the drawing room on the first floor. She sat down on one of the large over-stuffed couch, spread the books out in front of her, and flipped all three of them open. The two directly in front of her were James and Lily's baby books, detailing the early years of their lives. The book above them was the large photo album that had every decent picture of the twins ever taken. Looking at these books, Hermione realized even more what she had kept from Harry. Keeping his engagement from her had been nothing compared to what Hermione had kept from him. Just as she was deciding she needed to make things right with Harry, she heard a soft knock on the door. Hermione looked over to see him standing in the doorway with two cups in one hand.

“Mind if I join you?” Harry asked from the hallway.

“Of course not. How did you know I was up?”

“I was down in the kitchen - heard you moving around.”

“Haven't you slept yet?”

“Yeah I've only been up for about ten minutes. So anyway, I wanted to talk to you about last night,” Harry said walking across the room and handing her one of the two cups. “It's tea by the way.”

“Oh, right thanks. I wanted to talk to you about that too. Harry I'm so sorry I overreacted - I shouldn't have gotten mad at you. It's just that I've only just realized how I feel about you and it made me mad to realize that I came so close to losing you.”

“You have the right to be mad at me Hermione, just like I had the right to get mad at you about the twins.”

“Harry don't be nice - I'm trying to apologize. Keeping your engagement from me isn't all that bad, it was your life - you didn't have to tell me.”

“You don't need to apologize - I understand how you felt last night.”

“Why are you being so forgiving? I completely overreacted.”

“Because Hermione,” Harry said settling on the couch behind her and putting his tea down on the floor, “I know that is the only way I can get you to stop completely blaming yourself. It's a bit my fault too. I shouldn't have told you about Jenna the way I did or when I did. I should have picked a better time, but dinner had been so perfect, I just didn't want to be keeping anything else from you.”

“No, Harry, you didn't do anything wrong.”

“Yes I did Hermione. Just because you kept the twins from me doesn't mean I'm not wrong for keeping things from you.”

“Why did you keep her from me?”

“Because I knew if you came to my wedding I would want to marry you not her.”

Hermione looked over her shoulder at him. “Do you mean that?”

“I would never say something like that if I didn't mean it. Hermione, I have known that I loved you ever since the day I watched you walk out of my life. I wasn't marrying Jenna because I loved her - I was marrying her because I had giving up on ever being with you. That's why we called off the wedding; because I realized that no one but you could ever make me truly happy. And that she and I could only ever be friends.” Hermione smiled at him as he kissed her.

“You love me?” Hermione asked when Harry pulled his lips off hers and rested his chin lightly on her shoulder.

“I do.”

Hermione thought about it for a split second before whispering softly in his ear. “I'm pretty sure I love you too.”

“You pretty sure?”

“I'm sure.”

“So how about you say it - just for fun.”

“Harry James Potter - I love you.”

Harry's smile widened and he wrapped his arms possessively around her waist. “Can we forget that last night happened and try our first date over?”

“How about we just forget the fight ever happened and have our second date?”

“Hey, that's better then what I thought of.”

“I know.”

“What are we going to do on this second date of ours?”

“I was thinking we can ship the kids off for the night -”

“I like this plan so far.”

“Keep your pants on - I'm not that kind of girl.” Harry snorted, which earned him a slap on the arm. “Anyway so we ship the kids off and the two of us have a romantic dinner alone, but no dancing.”

“That sounds nice.”

“I'll even cook for you if you behave.”

“Well then, I promise to behave - so what were we looking at?” Harry asked looking over her shoulder at the books.

“I was looking at James and Lily's baby books and this photo album of them.” Hermione could almost feel Harry's excitement.

“Why have I never seen these?”

“I meant to show them to you. In fact I was going to show them to you when I first told you about James and Lily, but -”

“But plans went awry. Will you show them to me now?”

“Of course I will.” Hermione put her cup of tea down, pulled the photo album into her lap, leaned back into Harry so that he could see over her shoulder better, and started showing him the pictures.

They quickly became so involved in the photo album and then the baby books that they missed the sun rising at seven and the kids stirring around nine. The words, “Mum, where are you?” echoing through the halls brought them out of the trance.

“You stay here - I'll go fix them breakfast.” Hermione said, reluctantly pushing Harry's arms off of her. “I'm going to take these cups.” Hermione picked up the still full cups of tea and started to head out of the room.

“Hurry back.” Harry called after her.

“I'll try.”

“Mum!” James and Lily yelled

“I'm coming - I'm coming.” Hermione called back as she started down the stairs towards the kitchen.

“Where were you?” James asked impatiently when Hermione pulled open the door to the kitchen.

“I was in the drawing room with your father.” Hermione said putting one of the cups of tea down and mussing up James' hair. “Did you even bother to look for me?”

“Well we did look in your room.” Lily said.

“But calling for you is easier.” James said trying to flatten out what his mother had ruffled, but his efforts were in vane, since he had inherited his father's messy hair.

“So I guess you kids want me to make you breakfast,” Hermione said walking over to the refrigerator and pulling out some eggs and sausage to fry up for the kids. Once that was going, Hermione poured the ice cold tea down the sink, put on some coffee, and started to make toast.

“How was dinner with Dad?” Lily asked.

“Dinner was nice,” Hermione said putting a full plate in front of both James and Lily. “Now eat up - I need to talk to a couple of people.”

“So are you two dating now?” Lily asked ignoring the food in front of her.

“Eat.” Hermione ordered as she walked over to the kitchen fireplace and threw in a handful of sparkling powder. “The Burrow” She called sticking her head into the green flames. Seconds later she found herself looking at the legs of the Weasley's kitchen table.

“Molly? Arthur?” Hermione asked - she could see someone's legs but couldn't tell who it was.

“Hermione?” It was Molly.

“Good morning, Molly.”

“Well good morning to you too dear,” Molly said kneeling down so she was at Hermione's eye level. “How was dinner last night?”

“Dinner went well, but the date ended in a fight.”

“Oh no, are you all right?”

“I'm fine. Harry and I have already patched things up.”

“That's wonderful.”

“Yeah it is - that's why I'm here. I was wondering if you and Arthur would be willing to watch James and Lily tonight. Harry and I want to have dinner.”

“We'd be happy to - they are wonderful kids.”

“Thanks - so is it all right if I bring them over around seven?”

“Seven sounds great.”

“Well I should be getting back to them now. But I'll see you at seven?”

“All right see you at seven. Good bye Hermione.”

“Good bye Molly,” Hermione said as she pulled her head back into number twelve.

“What was that about?” James asked when Hermione's head was back in number twelve and she was standing up off the floor.

“You two are going to be spending the night with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Your father and I are going to have dinner.”

“Didn't you do that last night?”

“Yes we did and we had so much fun we decided we want to do it again,” Hermione said, wrapping a stack of toast into a napkin, pouring a cup of coffee for both Harry and herself, and heading towards the door. “I'm going to take these things to your father, you two finish up your breakfast, get dressed, and then come get me - I'll be up in the drawing room.”

“Do we have to study again today?”

“Only a bit.” Hermione called back to them as she started up the stairs - very carefully.

“You didn't have to bring me anything.” Harry said as Hermione walked across the drawing room to him and handed him one of the cups of coffee.

“Well, I thought you could use the coffee - I know I can - and I heard you stomach rumbling earlier so I figured I'd bring you some toast.”

“Very nice of you. So did the kids just want breakfast?”

“Yeah and to ask how dinner was last night.”

“What did you tell them?”

“That dinner was nice - which is true it was. I have a surprise for you.”

“Oh really.”

“Really - remember earlier when I was talking about shipping the kids off and having a romantic dinner, just the two of us?”

“Of course I remember.”

“Well, I was thinking that we could do that tonight. To that end, I flooed Molly and asked her and Arthur to take the kids so we can be alone.”

“And?” Harry asked sitting up, an anxious look in his eyes.

“And the two of us will be having dinner together at half past seven.” Hermione said leaning over and kissing Harry softly.

“That sounds wonderful.”

“It does, doesn't it.”

“Yeah especially since you said you'd cook for me.”

“You're right, I did - well then I need to go shopping to get what I need.”

“What am I going to do all day without you?”

“You are going to take James and Lily flying so that I can go shopping.”

“So you're letting them off the hook with studying.”

“For today at least.”

“What?” Lily asked from the doorway. Harry and Hermione looked over to her and they were both thinking the same thing how long has she been there.

“What?” Harry and Hermione asked in unison as Lily stepped into the room and was quickly followed by James.

“Did you just say we don't have to study today?”

“Yes I did.” Hermione said as she and Harry breathed a sigh of relief - they weren't ready to tell their kids about their relationship just yet.

“Why?”

“Because I'm going to take you two flying.” Harry said and the twins both lit up with glee.

“Really?”

“Really, really. So you two go get your brooms and your gear and I'll get dressed and then we'll go.”

“Okay.” The twins said together as they ran to get their brooms.

“Thanks for showing me these,” Harry said closing the books and handing them to Hermione. “And thanks for the breakfast - though I didn't get to eat it.” He said downing the coffee that was in his cup. “And I will see you later,” he said kissing her softly before walking towards the door.

Hermione stared after Harry, smiling broadly. She really did love him and she knew that whatever this was that was starting between them, was going to be amazing. Sighing happily and putting the books down on the coffee table, she grabbed the cups and uneaten toast and headed down to the kitchen. She threw the toast in the bin, since she knew she wasn't going to eat it, added the coffee cups to the teacups in the sink, and cleaned up the twin's plates. Five minutes later she was joined in the kitchen by Harry and the twins. The three of them decked out in Quidditch gear with brooms over their shoulders.

“Well - don't you three look great.”

“Aren't you coming with us?”

“No - I need to do some shopping, but I'm sure you'll have fun without me. Especially since I don't fly.”

“So where are we going?” James asked as Harry led them over to the fireplace.

“We are going to a house I own just outside of London. It has a large wood with a field in the middle, where we can fly around without being seen. Now you two have travelled by Floo Powder before haven't you?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Then you know what to do,” Harry said handing them both some Floo Powder. “Okay I want you two to go ahead - I'll take the brooms and Apparate after you, all right.”

“Okay.” James and Lily said handing Harry their brooms.

“Okay. The name of the house is The Snitch.” James and Lily nodded, stepped over to the fireplace, threw their Floo Powder in, called out “The Snitch”, and walked into the green flames. When they were gone, Harry turned to Hermione who was going red in the face from trying not to laugh. “I know it's a dumb name, but Luna came up with it and I don't know, maybe I was drunk or something and agreed.”

“Just go Harry - have fun.”

“I will.”

“Be back no later then half past six.”

“Okay,” Harry said and then he was gone.

Twenty minutes later, Hermione was heading out the front door of number twelve. She only needed to get a few things for dinner, but first she wanted to go back to Anduril; see if Jenna was there and have a little talk with her. She trusted Harry and knew she was just being paranoid, but there were a few things she wanted to get clear.

Hermione reached the restaurant just as they were unlocking the doors. She could see Jenna moving through the restaurant, taking the chairs down and putting them into place around their tables. Hermione pushed open the door and without even looking back Jenna spoke.

“I'm sorry we're not serving just yet.”

“No, Jenna. I wanted to talk to you,” Hermione said walking over to where she was.

“Oh,” Jenna said looking back at Hermione. “Hello Hermione.”

“Hi - listen, I know this might not be my business, but -”

“But you want to talk to me about Harry.”

“Yeah - if you don't mind.”

“I don't, but I have to get these tables ready so if you want to talk you'll have to help.”

“Okay, that's fine.”

“So let me ask you something before we start talking about Harry - are you the Hermione who he went to school with?”

“Yeah.”

“Then you have nothing to worry about.”

“It's not that I'm exactly worried, it's just that - wait what do you mean I have nothing to worry about?”

“Harry's been hung up on you for years.”

“What?”

“Harry loves you - he always has. He talked about you constantly and he put me on hold whenever it was time to talk to you.”

“Well, why did you agree to marry him if he was so hung up on me?”

“Eh,” Jenna said shrugging her shoulders. “You know how great Harry is, and I don't know - I guess I thought him proposing was a sign that he was getting over you. Boy was I wrong.”

“So what happened?”

“Why aren't you asking Harry this stuff?”

“He already told me his side of the story. I want to hear yours.”

“What happened was that Harry still loved you, and the two of us realized we were better off staying friends. Plus, there was this part of his life he said he couldn't tell me about until we were married and that just felt weird. So we called off the wedding and have remained friends. It's as simple as that.”

“I'm sorry things didn't work out for the two of you.”

“Don't be. Harry and I are still close friends. Besides, a couple months after Harry and I called off the wedding, I met this great guy who I've been seeing for nearly two years now. And a couple of months ago he proposed. The best part is I know he isn't in love with and old friend from school.”

“Well, that's wonderful.”

“Yeah it is. He's a great guy.”

“What's his name?”

“Tom - Tom Felton. He's an actor; he's pretty famous here in England, but I don't know about America.”

“I can't say I've ever heard of him, but I haven't had much time to watch movies over the past ten years. I'm kind of out of the loop.”

“Ah, well I guess that's understandable. You want to see a picture of him?”

“Sure.”

“I keep a picture of the two of us up in the front - so I have something to look at when it's slow around here.” Jenna said leading Hermione towards the front of the restaurant.

“He looks exactly like an old school mate of Harry's and mine, named Draco Malfoy, except that guy has blond hair.” Hermione said as Jenna handed her a picture of she and her fiancé. They were standing in a park somewhere. He was standing behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist, and they were both smiling brightly.

“Yeah, that's what Harry said.”

“This is a great picture.”

“We had it taken for the wedding announcements we're sending out next mouth. So did you get the answers you were looking for?”

“Yeah. Actually I did, thanks.” Hermione said handing the picture back to Jenna.

“No problem. Now I really have to get the rest of my prep work done.”

“Yeah, and I have shopping to do. Thanks for talking to me. Congratulations on the wedding.”

“Thanks and congratulations on you and Harry. I'm sure he's ecstatic now that the two of you are together.” Hermione nodded, muttered thanks again, and walked out the door feeling much better about Harry and her. Jenna's words about Harry always loving her made ever doubt she ever had vanish. Now her children had their father and she had the man she loved.

AN: okay I really couldn't help myself with the Tom Felton thing - oh well now that things are back in the right track lets all continue on to the next chapter

Chapter 17 reviews: Spaz141 - I didn't take it as a criticism I was just saying diggingupophelia - I know you didn't I didn't write that to you, I'm glad you like the fic though : ) chocolatefroggie - : ) Rosali - : ) Chancellor - It's not that he's unsure about wanting Hermione, it's just that he's nervous, she's been his friend for eighteen years he's loved her for the last ten - so even though he knows she'll say yes, he's afraid she might say no

Chapter 18 reviews: lannereddy - Jenna doesn't care really, she only thinks of Harry as a friend now and neither one of them really think of the other as their ex-fiancé so he wasn't even thinking about the situation being awkward harrynmione - : ) Favo de Mel - : ) div - oh no, no it wont take nearly that long - though their might be a sequal, I'm still undecided about it Austinlover -: ) izzieq - Hermione know that she was wrong about keeping the twins from him - that's why she apologizes all the time, but no it's not smooth sailings entirely tabitoo - that's an idea, maybe after the next fight ; ) fairyp80 - : ) spaz141 - : ) DreamAngel - : ) HHR227 - : ) diggingupophelia - that's one of my favorite lines too : ) LinNicole - : ) Jenna Kathleen - yes you are it's all your fault lol anyway…you really are forgetful aren't you this story has always been R and you don't remember reading any because we haven't got there yet (ps you're an issue lol at least that's what the other reviewers are saying) Misadies1 - I will PJ - no it wont be disappointing, at least I don't think it will - they are just a little slow and oh my lord I got your review and I was watching the season of Angel with Spike on it and I totally get what you said about Draco, I could see that happening. I can't tell whether he's going to be crazy or not, it's kinda a surprise, but I'll pose this question, would Ginny really date a crazy man? ; ) Rosali - : ) Mochie - : ) KJ Bridgerton - : ) Jillian84 - : ) Tomlove01 - you got it in one : ) ginnymalfoy21 - I said Draco was coming in chapter 27, but that's changed to chapter 28, but anyways that's what I said so Draco and Ginny won't be happening for a little while after that, it's either 30 or 31 I can't remember Coolone007 - you were entirely on the right track, except two things, the kids don't know about the fight and Harry didn't lie about dating Jenna, the question Hermione asked was “was that the Jenna you dated for seven months?” he told her it wasn't and that is true, he dated a Jenna who was a Witch and there was the Jenna who he was engaged to HnH4EvA19 - yeah I do, but sometimes when they explain themselves afterwards I understand Alorkin - that's alright, though there weren't that many more chapters just three : ) I'm honored that you'd even read the story you're kid and I'm honored that she thinks it's neat laila - : ) HHRLVR - : ) Chancellor - Harry just wasn't thinking, he wasn't even thinking that this was the restaurant where his ex-fiancé worked, he was just thinking that this was a restaurant he loved that was special to him, there wasn't a deeper motivation - he wasn't trying to make anyone jealous or anything like that, but yes his timing was horrible. Yes he did ask Hermione to come and visit him, but they were never “together” so he could never ask her back. Sorry I had to make Hermione take it all on herself, but at least Harry made it clear that he didn't think it was all her fault. Kalina Malia - : ) princess_hana2003 - : ) JayaMioneDurron - : ) Beppo - : ) chica - originally it was 29 then it was 34 and now it's 35, I don't think it'll change any more, but just know that the outline is flexible, sadly I only have 21 chapters done so the updates are going to be getting kinda slow until I've written more and Draco come in in chapter 28

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20. Giving it the Old College Try

Giving it the Old College Try

Harry managed to appear in the cavernous front hall of his house just as his children stepped out of the large marble fireplace.

“Wow,” James said, his eyes wide in shock. “This house is amazing.”

“And you've only seen the front hall,” Harry said giving James and Lily their brooms. “Now let's get going. It's a clear day - beautiful flying conditions.”

“Why don't we live here?” James said following Harry out of the front hall and through what appeared to be the dinning room.

“Well, I did live here for a while. I mean, why buy a house if you have no intention of living in? But it's so big and empty and well, I felt drawn to number twelve - I have a lot of good memories in that house.”

“You mean of your godfather?”

“Yeah, of Sirius and of the Weasleys and of your mother - we spent a lot of time there before she left for America.”

“So why don't we move here - now that we're all together?”

“I guess I'm just not ready to move on yet - maybe that's something we can consider doing sometime soon. You back there, Lily?” Harry said looking back over his shoulder to his daughter, who was yet to say a word. She was looking around the house, taking it all in, looking rather intimidated.

“Yeah,” she said once she realized Harry had been talking to her. “Everything is so big here.”

“You don't like it?”

“I like it, but it's big.”

“I agree.”

“Why did you buy such a big house?”

“I liked it. But the real reason I bought it is just out here.” Harry said pushing open the large French doors that led to the back yard. There was a long sloping yard that led to a vast forest - one that went on as far as the eye could see.

“Do you own all that?” James asked pointing his broom in the direction of the wood.

“A good portion of it. The field I told you about is ten yards into the forest.”

“You bought this house so you would have a place to fly?”

“Well, there's no place to fly in the city so it was either only fly when I was with the team, or find a place where I could fly whenever I wanted to. I spent seven years at Hogwarts only flying when other people told me I could and I decided I didn't want to do that anymore. So I bought this place during my first off season and have been flying here ever since.”

“Are you rich?” James asked as they reached the tree line and Harry started to lead them along a well-worn path.

“I'm certainly not poor, but I'm not rich. My parents left me a rather handsome sum of money when they were killed and I was careful with it while I was a school.”

“I bet you made a lot of money playing Quidditch.”

“I was well paid, that's true. But James, money isn't important - it'll never make you happy, no matter how much of it you have.”

“That sounds like something Mum would say.”

“Your Mum is an amazingly smart woman - you'd do well to listen to her.”

“But it must be nice to have a lot of money.”

Harry stopped along the path and turned to James. “Money is a nice thing to have, I won't lie to you, and it's nice to know you're financially secure. But the best people I have ever known were never rich, they barely had enough money to scrap by and for the most part, they were always happy. Money can't make you happy James - I want you to understand that.”

“I understand.”

“Good. And trust me when I say that having you two in my life has made me happier then money ever could.” James face split into a grin that mirrored Harry's perfectly. “Now enough with this serious stuff - lets fly.” Harry's eyes sparkled with excitement as he turned and walked the few feet left on the path through the forest.

“I think he and Mum are made for each other.” Lily said, stepping up next to her brother.

“They certainly give the same kind of lectures.”

“But he doesn't take things nearly as seriously as she does.”

“Yeah and she's been more relaxed since we moved here.”

“I know - I think it's because of him. I think they really love each other.”

“I thought you two wanted to learn to fly,” Harry called back to them, seeing that they were still in the woods.

“We do, we do!” James and Lily said running down the path excitedly.

“What were you two whispering about?”

“Nothing,” Lily said a bit too quickly.

“So - are you and Mum dating now?” James asked, giving Harry a very good idea what they had been talking about.

“Did you ask her that?”

“No.” Which was true - Lily had asked.

“Uh-huh - so what did she say?”

“She avoided the question,” Lily said, anxious to know the truth.

“So you were hoping I would just slip up and tell you something she didn't?” Neither of them answered him, but they had looks in their eyes that told him he was right. “All I'll say is that your Mum and I feel very strongly for each other and we trying to sort that all out.”

“So you are dating?”

“I didn't say that, now do you two want to fly or do you want to stand around talking?”

“Fly!”

“All right then. Now I've never taught anyone how to fly before, so you'll have to bear with me. I'll try and teach you the way I was taught.”

“Okay.'

“Then if this works, I can teach my godsons this way.”

“You have godchildren?”

“Yeah, the triplets are all my godsons. I have quite a long time before I have to teach them to fly, but it'll be good to get the technique down.”

“Will you and Mum ever have more children?” Lily asked, sounding as innocent as little girls do when they ask serious questions that they don't understand the answers to.

Harry tried to look as if he didn't hear her, but he could feel his cheeks flush slightly. Not saying a word to answer her question, Harry placed his broom down on the ground and had it hovering next to him with a quick hand motion and a nearly silent word.

“So put your brooms down on the ground, like I did, and we'll get started.”

“You didn't answer my question.”

“You're right, I didn't.”

“I don't think he's going to either.” James whispered putting his broom down onto the ground. Lily shrugged, admitting defeat, and put her broom down on the ground next to her brother's.

“Let's just not talk about your Mum and I anymore, all right.”

“All right - you guys are boring anyway. So how do we make our brooms hover?” asked James.

Harry smiled at his impatient son and instructed them. In no time, James and Lily had their brooms in the air and were balancing themselves like professionals. It made Harry proud to see how quickly James and Lily took to flying. They both gripped their brooms perfectly, as if by instinct, and when the three of them took to the sky, Harry could tell that flying was just as natural to them as it was to him.

“This is so great Dad - why doesn't Mum like to fly?” James asked leveling out his broom.

“She's not a fan of heights, but maybe if the three of us worked together, we could get her out here with us.”

“I doubt it - Mum is very strong willed.”

“I've known your mother for nearly eighteen years - I know how strong willed she is. But maybe she'll come out with us - if not to fly then to at least to keep us company.”

“What's next Daddy?” Lily asked leveling out with her brother and father.

“Well, you two seemed to have mastered the basic technique - so what do you say to a bit of a race? Say, three times around the pitch. The first one to make it back here and land, wins.”

“Okay,” they both said excitedly. Harry watched them as they straightened out their brooms next to his.

“All right, on three. Ready. Set. Three!” Harry called and the three of them sped off. Lily and James were soon yelling in excitement. Partially because they loved the thrill of flying, and partially because they were winning. Harry was letting them win of course - that's what dads do with their nine-year-olds, but they were extremely fast. In the last lap Harry gave them a bit of a challenge, flying up right behind them and forcing them to pick up speed. He wanted them to win, but he didn't want them to win too easily. James and Lily touched down at the exact same time; Harry touched down not five seconds later.

“You cheated!” Lily exclaimed when Harry touched down. Harry was about to come to James' defense when he realized she wasn't accusing her brother she was accusing him.

“How could I cheat? I lost!” Harry asked trying to sound hurt, but he could tell he's feeble defense wasn't going to stand up.

“You lost on purpose.”

“I did not.”

“Yes you did.” Lily said jumping at Harry and hitting him on the arm, much like her mother did when she was annoyed.

“Hey now, no hitting,” Harry said, backing away, successfully tripping on a rock and landing hard on his backside. Lily jumped onto his chest and started hitting his arms. Taking defensive action, Harry started tickling Lily's ribs. He had finally taken control of the situation when James jumped in. James pinned one of Harry's arms down, Lily pinned down the other, and they all started laughing madly.

“All right you two, all right,” Harry said sitting up between laughs and pulling the twins onto his lap. “Oh wow, it already one in the afternoon. You two hungry?”

“Yeah Dad.”

“Uh huh.”

“Okay, so we'll go up to the house and I'll make you some lunch. How does that sound?”

“Good.” James said getting to his feet and helping his sister up. Harry smiled to himself as he got off the ground. He loved seeing the way his twins were together; he loved the very idea that he was at his house, teaching his children to fly.

“You got your brooms?” Harry asked as they started towards the path through the woods.

“Yeah.”

“Good, we wouldn't want to -” Harry started to say, but he got distracted by a strange clicking noise. He looked back to the practice field, where it seemed the noise was coming from, but there was nothing there. Harry turned back towards the direction of the house and saw the twins a few feet ahead of him. They were looking back at him, waiting for him to finish what he was say.

“We wouldn't want to what Dad?” James asked.

“Oh, um, we don't want to leave them out there in the grass,” Harry stammered out and then he stopped. He had just heard that clicking noise again.

“Daddy, are you all right?” Lily asked, walking back towards him and taking his hand.

“Yeah sweetheart, I'm fine. Listen I think we need to get back in the house now.”

“Why, what's wrong?” James asked.

“Nothing's wrong, I'm just - just hungry, that's all. Come on, let's get going,” Harry said, picking up his pace, nearly pulling Lily along behind him. When they reached the house Harry ushered them through the doors quickly. He was starting to get the sneaking suspicion that he knew what the clicking noise was, he had heard it countless times before. But no, that couldn't be it - it was impossible. But just to be on the safe side, Harry pulled the curtains closed and ushered the twins away from the windows.

“Daddy, what's going on?”

“Nothing love, nothing, everything is fine. So what do you two want for lunch?” Harry asked them, leading them to the kitchen. There wasn't any food anywhere - he hadn't lived in this house for years, but there was a store about two miles down the road that he could easily drive to. In the end they decided they wanted sandwiches and after a quick trip to the store, they ate.

After lunch the twins were anxious to get back into the air, but Harry, who was still unsure about the strange noise he had heard wasn't comfortable taking them back outside. Instead he suggested they spend sometime inside. In the end they decided to pass the rest of their afternoon playing hide and seek in the huge house. Harry had never played the game before; he didn't have siblings or friends to play with as a child, and he greatly enjoyed himself.

At half past six, they gave up their game, gathered up their brooms and the pads that they had stripped off before lunch, and headed back to number twelve. Like before, the twins went through the Floo Network and Harry Apparated. The second he appeared in the kitchen, he was bombarded by wondrous smells. Whatever Hermione was making for dinner, it smelled delicious.

“Right on time,” Hermione said from where she was standing by the stove.

“Well when a beautiful woman tells me to be home at half past six, I make sure to be home at half past six,” Harry said dropping the broom and pads onto the table and walking across the room to Hermione. She smiled at him as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck softly.

“I told you,” Lily said from the fireplace. Harry and Hermione nearly jumped apart. “I told you they loved each other.”

“Just because he was biting her neck it doesn't mean they love each other.”

“He wasn't biting her neck stupid, he was kissing it.”

“Just get upstairs you two,” Hermione said, motioning towards the door. “Put your things away and get cleaned up - I'm dropping you off at the Burrow in half and hour.”

“All right,” the twins said together grabbing their things off the table. James and Lily eyed their parents suspiciously as they walked towards the door - backwards. They were obviously trying to find some piece of evidence of what their parents were so desperately trying to hide.

“Just go,” Hermione said, becoming impatient with their slow progress. “We don't have the time for you two to straggle along so slowly.”

“I bet they want to be alone so they can kiss some more.” Lily said as they disappeared up the stairs.

“Not a bad idea,” Harry said, stepping back to Hermione's side.

“Actually it's a very good idea, but one we don't have time for.” Hermione said reluctantly as he kissed her softly on the side of the mouth.

“Fine. I'll kiss you more later. So what can I do to help?”

“You can go upstairs and get them ready.” Harry nodded and turned towards the door. “Oh wait, how did it go?”

“It went really well, they're complete naturals, but while we were out there -”

“Dad!” James called from upstairs. “Hedwig is at my window with a letter for you!”

“All right, I'll be right there!” Harry called back while starting up the stairs.

“Wait Harry, what were you saying just now before James interrupted?”

“Oh I'll tell you later - at dinner.”

“Okay.” Harry heard Hermione call after him.

He reached the second floor landing and found Hedwig waiting for him - James had evidently let her in. She looked weary, so Harry took the letter from her quickly. She hooted thankfully and flew off. Harry watched her soar up the stairs for a minute and then returned his attention to the letter in his hand. It was from Ron.

Harry,

I heard from Mum that you and Hermione went out last night. She also told me you guys fought - hope things have smoothed over there. You could have told me you two were dating - thanks for keeping me in the loop mate. Anyway, I wanted to tell you and Hermione that Luna is already planning a party for the boys. She wants to have a little “lets meet the newest Weasleys” party - you know, like the one they had for Liv - well anyway it'll be in two weeks, the day the boys turn one month old. Let me know if you four are coming - oh and let me know how things are between you and Hermione.

Ron

Harry laughed a bit at Ron's letter. He could almost read Ron's excitement in his words - he loved being a father as much as Harry did. Making a mental note to tell Hermione about the party and write Ron, Harry tucked the letter into his back pocket and continued down the hall to James' room.

“You almost ready James?” Harry asked through James' door.

“Yeah,” James answered.

“Good, because you only have about fifteen more minutes.”

“Are we staying there over night?”

“Yes, so you need to pack up your pajamas and a change of clothes.”

“Okay.”

“I'm going to go check on your sister. When you're ready head back down to the kitchen since your mother will be the one taking you to the Burrow.”

“All right Dad.”

“All right Son - remember, only fifteen minutes,” Harry called, walking back to the stairs and heading up to Lily's room.

“Lily sweetheart, how are you doing?” Harry asked Lily through her door.

“I'm ready.” Lily said pulling open the door. She was cleaned up and had a bag over her shoulder. Harry glanced into her room and saw that everything was put away neatly.

“Well, all right then. Let's go back down to the kitchen - you can tell your Mum all about your day.”

“Okay,” Lily said excitedly and sprinted down the hall to the stairs. Harry laughed inwardly at her - she was so full of energy and life; she was just amazing to watch. On his way down the stairs Harry was met by James. He looked as if he had only just changed his clothes, not washed up, and Harry doubted if his room was picked up like Lily's. It was amazing how different the twins were. Lily was like Hermione and James was like Harry; he wondered if that was because of their gender or because of lucky chance. By the time they reached the kitchen Lily had launched into the story of the day.

“- and then we raced.” Lily said enthusiastically.

“That's sounds exciting.”

“It was. James and I tied and we beat Daddy even, but I think he let us win.”

“Oh, your father would never do that,” Hermione said, catching Harry's eye and giving the smallest hint of a wink.

“I think he did - he didn't fly that slowly at The Cup.”

“Maybe he just had a slow day. So what did you do after the race?”

“We had lunch and then we played hide and seek. Did you know that Daddy never got to play that as a kid? I think that's sad.”

“I think it's sad too, but now he has you and James to play with. So anyway - if you two are ready, we should get going.”

“Okay,” Lily said, moving over to Harry and hugging him tight. “Bye Daddy,” she said softly, burying her face in his leg. Harry lowered himself to her level and hugged her tight.

“Goodbye my sweet love - be good for Molly and Arthur, they're good people. And keep an eye on your brother for me.”

“I will Daddy,” she said letting go of him and moving towards the fireplace. “Are we going through first like we did earlier?”

“Yeah, and give me you're bags. I'll bring those with me.” Hermione said holding out her hand. Lily passed her mother her bag, threw a handful of glittering powder into the fireplace, called out “The Burrow”, and quickly disappeared into the glowing green flames. James quickly followed suit.

“So you should go get ready - I'll be back soon.” Hermione said to Harry once the twins were gone.

“What? Now I have to look all fancy for you?”

“Well, I worked on this dinner all afternoon. The least you can do is dress up.”

“I guess you deserve that much,” Harry said, kissing her softly before she dissapparated. “I love you,” he whispered softly to where Hermione had just been standing.

Hermione appeared in the kitchen of the Burrow to see Molly Weasley with James and Lily in a huge hug. She smiled; it was great to see Molly accepting the twins. When she released the twins, she turned to Hermione with open arms.

“Thank you again for taking them for the night.” Hermione said in Molly's ear as they hugged.

“Oh it's no problem dear. You know Arthur and I love kids, and yours are wonderful.”

“Harry and I really appreciate it.”

“Well of course you do. You two need some time alone together if you are ever going to have a relationship.”

“Yeah,” Hermione said pulling herself out of Molly's arms. She put the twin's bags down onto the kitchen table and turned to say goodbye to her children. They were standing just behind her, being greeted by Arthur. They were hugging him and saying very enthusiastic hellos.

“But what do we call you?” Hermione heard Lily ask when Arthur let go of her.

“You could call me Arthur, or you could call me Grandpa if you want - I know you don't have one.”

“Okay Grandpa.” James said happily.

“Hey babes, I'm going to get going.” Hermione said hugging James and then Lily. “Be good for your - grandparents,” Hermione added, looking to Molly and Arthur, who were beaming. They had been Hermione's surrogate parents when she was at Hogwarts and then when her parents died they had been the family she had needed.

“We'll be good Mum.”

“Yeah, we promise we will.”

“Good - your father and I will be by in the morning to pick you up.” Hermione hugged them again quickly and was about to apparate when she felt a hand close on her wrist. She looked down and realized it was Molly's hand.

“I just like a quick word with you before you go.”

“All right,” Hermione said as she followed Molly down the hallway that led off to the kitchen.

“I realize I've been a bit short with you recently and I would like to apologize,” Molly said when they were out of earshot of the twins.

“Oh it's all right, really it is, and I know how hard this is to deal with.”

“No Hermione, you didn't need us to judge you - you needed our support. I just love you and Harry so much - as if you were my own. All I want is for you two to be happy and if that's together then that's wonderful. I do adore your twins, they are so much better behaved then mine were, and I'm glad they think of Arthur and I as their grandparents.”

“Well Harry and I think of you as our parents so it makes sense.”

“Enjoy your dinner with Harry; I hope everything goes better this time.”

“I hope so too, but speaking of dinner I need to get back - I haven't even gotten dressed yet.”

“Well you get along then - the twins are in good hands.”

“I know they are.” Hermione said hugging Molly again before Disapparating.

Appearing in the kitchen of number twelve, Hermione checked that the dinner was all set. In too much of a hurry to do it the muggle way, she waved her wand and the food laid itself out neatly on the plates. Carefully hovering the dinner in front of her, Hermione walked up the basement steps and into the dinning room. She arranged the dishes on the table and then apparated up to her bedroom to change quickly into the simple, deep blue strapless dress she had decided to wear. She slipped into her shoes, but then decided to go barefoot. After having been on her feet all day it felt better not to be wearing shoes, besides Harry never noticed her feet anyway. She put her hair up quickly into an eloquent knot, checked that the little makeup she was wearing looked good, and stepped out of her room.

Harry was standing at the top of the stairs, like he had been the night before. He was wearing a red shirt and black pants.

“You look amazing,” Harry said as he scanned her head to toe.

“Oh, I don't look that good. I've been on my feet all day and I -” Hermione's complaints about herself were cut short by Harry's lips softly touching hers.

Harry deepened the kiss by moving one of his hands to her hips and gently pulling her body closer to his. His other hand rested lightly on her cheek. “Hermione, never doubt how beautiful you are. It would be like me doubting my ability to fly - it's just not natural.”

“You're so sweet to me,” Hermione said, putting her hand on top of his, which was still resting softly on her cheek.

“It's because I love you.”

“I love you too.” Harry smiled at her; he loved it when she said that.

“I could stand here forever, just looking at you.”

“But then we'd miss dinner,” Hermione said softly, not really sure what to say in response to something so sweet.

“Oh yes, and we can't miss dinner,” Harry said, smiling.

“After all the work I put into it, you're damn right we can't miss dinner,” Hermione said linking her fingers through the hand on her check and taking it down to her side.

“You know it's your own fault that you put so much work into it,” Harry joked, leading her down, towards the dinning room.

“I know. I chose to prepare the food the muggle way and cook it as close to the muggle way as possible, but I thought you deserved it.”

“Well, if you thought I deserved all that effort, who am I to object?” Harry questioned.

“Wait here for just a second, all right?” Hermione asked, letting go off his hand when they got to the door of the dinning room.

“Got a surprise for me or something?” Harry asked her back as she walked into the dinning room.

“Something,” Hermione called back. She stepped into the room and checked again that everything was in order. It was; the food was still where she had laid it; all she needed now was the candles. With an eloquent wave of her hand, about a hundred candles suddenly burst into life and the room was full of a soft light. “You can come in now.”

“This looks great Hermione. Perfect for a nice, romantic dinner,” Harry said as he steeped into the room.

Hermione had covered the ancient table in a crimson cloth and put candles everywhere. They were on the sideboard, on the far end of the table they wouldn't need, and some were even floating in midair around the two place settings Hermione had laid out.

“I thought so,” Hermione said as Harry kissed her softly before pulling out her chair for her. “So I have a bit of a confession to make.”

“And what would that be?” Harry asked as he sat down and poured them both a drink.

“When you were flying with the kids, I went to talk to Jenna.”

“And what did she tell you that you couldn't have asked me?” Harry asked, sounding slightly miffed.

“Nothing new really, I just wanted to hear her side of it.”

“So now you're satisfied that I was telling you the truth.”

“I never doubted that you were telling me the truth. I just wanted to completely understand.”

“Okay Hermione, and now you understand so let's just forget it.”

“Harry,” Hermione said taking his hand gently. “I love you.”

“I know that Hermione, don't worry about it.”

“No, you're annoyed with me.”

“I guess I don't understand why you felt like you had to talk to her - I had already explained what happened.”

“You explained what happened as you saw it, and honestly I was a bit worried that she might still have feelings for you. I didn't want that.”

“Oh,” Harry said softly feeling rather foolish. “She's getting married. She doesn't have those feelings for me anymore.”

“Well I didn't know that. But I do now.”

“So - she um… she told you about that Tom guy?” Harry asked taking a nervous sip of wine.

“Yeah and showed me a picture of the two of them.”

“Doesn't he look just like Malfoy?”

“Yeah he does.”

“He makes her happy.”

“I'm sure he does.”

“Not nearly as happy as you make me,” Harry said, cupping her face in his hands.

“I'm sorry I went to talk to her -”

“Don't be sorry, `Mione. I don't even know why I got upset.”

“What did you call me?”

“I called you `Mione - should I not?”

“No, I like it - it's just no one has ever called me that before.” Harry smiled. He'd wanted to call her that for years, but he thought it might be a bit too intimate. He was glad she liked it.

“So, `Mione,” Harry started, making a point of emphasizing the nickname she liked. “Last night you started to tell me about your writing; how is that going?”

Hermione smiled at him; he was the only person she talked to about her writing, if she talked about it at all, and she liked that he was actually interested in what she was so secretly passionate about.

She told him all about an owl she had received that afternoon from the agent she was working with. A book series she had been writing for nearly seven years was possibly going to be published in the muggle world. The books were about a brother and sister who could do powerful magic; it was inspired in her children, but set in an ancient time in a far off place. Hermione hadn't held out much hope of it getting published in the Wizarding World since they involved magic, and frankly Wizards and Witches lived it, they didn't need to read about it. But she had sent it out there anyway. Apparently a muggle publisher got sent the manuscript by accident and they were interested. There were some concerns, but they were sure all the kinks could be worked out, and move forward with publishing.

“That's great `Mione,” Harry said moving the now empty main course plates aside as Hermione got up to get their dessert from the sideboard. She had made a soft chocolate layer cake with a milk chocolate moose.

“I just hope it all works out. I put my heart into those books; it would be amazing if people actually liked them.”

“I'm sure people will love it - anyone who gets to see into your heart can't help but love you, and everything you stand for.” Hermione felt her face flush and she smiled as she leaned over to kiss Harry. Her lips tasted like chocolate, which made Harry laugh - he would have expected it if he had thought about it, but it took him completely by surprise, and for some reason his first instinct was to laugh.

“What's so funny?” Hermione asked sounding slightly miffed; no one had ever laughed when she kissed them before.

“Your lips taste like chocolate,” Harry said trying to stifle his laughter.

“Why is that funny?” Hermione asked as a smile spread across her face and she started to laugh too; she couldn't help it, Harry's laughter was infectious.

“It's not really; it just took me by surprise. Actually, I rather liked it.”

“Oh, really?” Harry nodded enthusiastically. Hermione smiled as she pulled herself out of her chair and slid into his lap. She picked up her cake and feed a bit to Harry before kissing him.

He smiled into her kiss as her lips parted softly and her tongue met his. Harry wrapped one of his arms around her waist and pulled her as close to him as was possible.

“You're right - that does taste good.”

“Yes it does.” Harry said kissing her once again; the cake now lying forgotten on the table. Hermione ran one of her hands through Harry's shaggy, and pulled his face closer to hers.

“I love you,” Harry whispered in her ear before kissing the tender flesh of her neck. Hermione moaned softly and moved her neck towards him.

“I love you too,” Hermione breathed quietly as Harry started kissing her shoulder.

“We have to stop this,” Harry said, his hot breath clouding her soft, alabaster skin.

Hermione looked at him strangely - that was the last thing she had expected to hear from a guy. Harry reluctantly forced himself to let go off her waist.

She pouted a bit, she had been enjoying that, but she knew they had to stop before it went any further. Hermione released her hold on his hair and went back to her seat - though she did pull it closer to his.

“I just love you too much,” Harry said softly, putting his hand on her leg. “I love you too much to go with some lust thing - I want our first time as us to be special.”

“I understand Harry, and you're right,” Hermione said, getting a piece of cake onto her fork and offering it to Harry. He smiled at her, understanding, and ate the cake she was offering.

Harry watched her as she took a bit herself. She studied the soft curve of her face, the way the candlelight brought the warm brown color of her hair to life, and the soft glow on her perfect skin; which he greatly wanted to kiss again.

“You're so beautiful,” Harry announced, causing Hermione to smile and blush.

“You keep saying that,” Hermione said softly, Harry was the only person who had ever told her that and it still surprised her when he said it.

“It keeps being true,” Harry said, putting a soft hand on her cheek. “This dinner has been wonderful.”

“Thank you.”

“But I have to tell you - I'm completely exhausted. Would you ever forgive me if I asked us to end this here?”

“Of course I would Harry, you spent the entire day playing with the kids - I understand how you feel.”

“So you're not upset?”

“I'm not upset,” Hermione said kissing him softly.

“This was nice - we'll have to do it again soon.”

“Yeah we will - luckily we have tons of people willing to baby-sit for us,” said Hermione as she stood and started clearing up the dishes.

“Hey, you cooked. Let me do that,” said Harry, taking the dishes out of her hands.

“But I thought you were exhausted,” Hermione said seriously, gathering up more dishes from the table.

“I have enough strength to clean up for you,” Harry assured her, taking the new dishes from her.

“Okay then, I'll let you do that.”

“Ah, but first, since I see that you are tired too, I'd like to ask you if I may escort you to your door” Harry asked with a dramatic flourish, holding out his arm to her. She smiled and couldn't help but laugh lightly at him as she took his arm.

“So when are we getting the twins tomorrow?”

“Sometime in the morning. Probably around ten I would say. Do you miss them?”

“I do - I love spending time alone with you, but I do miss them.”

“I'm glad you guys had so much fun today.”

“We really did - they're such naturals, they make me so proud.”

“They'll do that when you least expect it,” Hermione said as they reached her bedroom door. “Well, kind Sir, this is my door.”

“Yes it is,” said Harry kissing her softly.

“I love you,” Hermione whispered as she opened her door and reluctantly stepped into her room; she didn't want this night to end.

“I love you too `Mione - goodnight.”

“Goodnight Harry,” Hermione said letting him kiss her softly on the cheek before he stepped away and closed the door. As the door shut tight between them they both smiled widely; that had gone much better then their date the night before.

Harry sighed happily as he started towards his bedroom, but then remembered he told Hermione he would clean up and headed back down to the dinning room. He quickly regretted volunteering to clean, as his sore shoulders suddenly flared up. Luckily he had magic to help him out. He hovered the dishes down to the kitchen, put them to work cleaning themselves, and went back up to the dinning room, putting out the candles. He then climbed back up the stairs and settled into a long hot bath to relax his quickly tightening muscles. He greatly wished that Hermione were there with him - perhaps giving him a massage or just sitting in the tub with him. But he had meant what he said downstairs, he planned on Hermione being a part of his life forever and there was no rush, he wanted their first time together as a couple to be a special thing; not a rushed, lustful one. Though at the moment, he wouldn't mind a rushed, lustful thing.

After about an hour in the tub, Harry climbed out, dried himself off, pulled on clean pajama pants, and fell into bed. He was almost asleep when he sat bolt upright, remembering that he had forgotten to tell Hermione about the noise he had heard in the woods.

“Oh well, I'll tell her in the morning,” Harry said lazily as he lay back down and drifted off to sleep. When he got up the next morning he would greatly regret that decision.

AN: the shit hath hit-ith the fan ith - oh and a gold star goes to anyone who knows where that quote is from ; )

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21. We Really Should Have Seen That Coming

We Really Should Have Seen That Coming

“Harry,” he heard a soft voice purr in his ear sometime around midnight. He opened his eyes to find Hermione standing over him, wearing nothing but a smile. “Do you think I could join you?” Harry's eyes widened in shock. A few hours earlier they had agreed they weren't going to do this yet, but here she was, apparently ready for them to be them.

“Of course you can,” Harry said, raising the comforter, allowing her to crawl in beside him. Hermione snuggled into his side and started kissing his neck softly. “'Mione I thought we weren't go to do this yet.”

“You don't want me?” Hermione asked softly, kissing up his neck to the side of his face.

“Of course I want you - I've wanted you for the past ten years.”

“Then take me,” Hermione said moving one of her legs over his hips and pressing her lips onto his forcefully. She ran her tongue along his lips sensually and he parted his lips to let her in.

“Only if you're sure,” Harry breathed as Hermione pulled down his pajama pants.

“I've never been surer,” Hermione said in a voice that had grown deep with passion. Harry didn't need more convincing. He loved her, he wanted her, and she wanted him too.

“Harry - Harry are you awake? You need to be getting up - we need to go get the twins.” Hermione's voice rang through Harry's room, waking him suddenly from his most excellent dream. Harry willed his eyes to stay closed, trying to force himself back into his dream. “Come on Harry - get up,” Hermione said while crossing his room and playfully jumping on top of him.

“Hey! I was having a really good dream,” Harry moaned resolutely holding his eyes shut - willing the dream back to him.

"Come on, Harry, wake up.” Hermione said starting to pull the covers off him.

“Wow `Mione, I don't really think you want to do that right now,” Harry said, knowing full well that his dream had given him an erection, one that he didn't want Hermione to find out about.

“Why?” Hermione asked playfully, pulling at the covers Harry was trying to keep close to him. She tugged and tugged again as Harry tried, unsuccessfully, to move away from her and keep himself hidden. “Oh,” Hermione said with a sudden realization as she pulled the comforter off his lap.

“I told you I was having a really good dream,” Harry said, blushing beat red and pulling the covers back over himself.

“It's nothing to be embarrassed about,” Hermione said sweetly, trying not to blush herself. She settled at the foot of the bed her feet tucked up under herself.

“I know that, it's just, well - okay so I'm a little embarrassed,” Harry whispered, not meeting her eyes. He wasn't embarrassed that thoughts of her aroused him - just that she had caught him.

“Maybe I should go,” Hermione said moving her feet and getting off his bed. “Come down to the kitchen when you're up...um...I mean awake. I'll put on some coffee, and then we can go get the twins.”

“That sounds good - I'll be down in a bit.” Harry sat up, keeping the cover over himself, and smiled at Hermione weakly - she looked amazing first thing in the morning and that wasn't helping him any. The second Hermione was away from the door Harry hurried to his bathroom to take a very, very cold shower. Twenty minutes later Harry, dressed in jeans and a sweater, headed down into the kitchen where Hermione sat, waiting for him.

“Good morning beautiful,” Harry said running a hand through his unruly hair.

“Morning Harry,” Hermione said handing a cup of coffee across the table to him as he sat down. “Have I ever told you, you look sexy first thing in the morning?” She said mostly talking to her coffee.

“You think so?”

“Yeah,” Hermione said looking up into his eyes. “I love your hair when it's like that and when you don't quite look like your awake.”

“I'm not,” Harry said yawning lavishly and taking a sip of coffee in an attempt to wake himself up. “Wait, how is my hair any different in the morning then it is any other time of the day?”

“I know it's always a mess, but it looks different in the morning somehow - looks better.”

“You look pretty great in the morning too, but I think maybe we're so attracted to each other first thing in the morning because we haven't seen each other in so many hours.”

“That's a theory,” Hermione said, trying hard not to laugh, “but what about when we dream of each other?”

“Been dreaming about me?”

“Maybe. Though I got the feeling you were dreaming about me as well.”

“Only a little, and only when I'm asleep.” Harry said, finishing his coffee, “aren't we supposed to be getting Lily and James?”

“Yeah - but I thought I'd let you finish your coffee,” Hermione said taking his now empty cup from him and putting it down in the sink. “Shall we go then?”

“Yeah,” Harry said standing up and offering her his hand. Hermione smiled and took his hand.

“I've missed them too.” Hermione said softly.

“They haven't even been gone for a day and we already miss them - we'll be absolute wrecks when they go to school,” Harry said just before they apparated. When they appeared just outside The Burrow, Harry heard Hermione sigh loudly.

“What's wrong?”

“I was just thinking about them going to school - I've had them with me basically since we left school and I don't know what I'll do when they leave. It'll be so strange not having them around me all the time.” Hermione said wistfully, thinking about how empty she was sure to feel when her children ventured out into the world.

“At least you've had the last ten years...”

“Oh God, Harry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up - it's just that you and the kids have bonded so quickly...”

“Mione, love, it's all right, I wasn't even thinking about that - I was going to say that you have had last ten years and you've had great times with them. You shouldn't focus on them leaving.”

“Yeah, I guess you're right Harry - I'll just be lonely with out them.”

“But you won't be alone.” Harry said squeezing her hand.

“Not anymore I won't be,” Hermione said smiling and kissing him softly. Just as they pulled their lips apart at the front door of The Burrow, it opened next to them and their daughter was standing there.

“Mummy. Daddy,” Lily yelled rushing out the front door and hugging both her parents at once.

“Hi sweet love,” Harry said unwrapping himself from Lily's arm so he could hug James, who had just appeared in the doorway. “Morning Son.”

“Morning Dad,” James said burying his face in Harry's neck. It was extraordinarily clear that Harry and Hermione weren't the only ones who had been lonely.

“We thought you'd be here earlier.” Lily said as Hermione took her hand and they followed Harry and James back into The Burrow.

“Well, your father had a bit of a lie-in. Why didn't you have fun with Grandma and Grandpa?”

“We had fun - we just missed you.” Lily said sounding as if there was something more she wanted to say.

“Your mother and I missed you two, also,” Harry said as the four of them walked into the kitchen.

“Well, you wanted to have dinner alone,” Lily said cunningly.

“That's true,” Hermione said, understanding that Lily was up to something.

“You know you could make it up to us.”

“Oh and how can we do that?” Hermione said waving hello to Arthur and Molly who were sitting at their kitchen table, sipping their coffee.

“You could take us to Diagon Alley,” Lily said hopefully, Hermione was just about to ask Lily what she wanted in Diagon Alley when Harry pulled her aside. Hermione looked at him inquisitively, but he nodded towards the living room.

“We'll be right back,” Hermione said, letting go of Lily's hand and following Harry. “What love?” Hermione whispered when they were a safe distance from the kitchen.

“You had that look in your eyes,” Harry said softly, taking her hand and squeezing it gently.

“What look?”

“That `what are you up to?' look that you used to give me and Ron.”

“Well she's up to something.”

“'Mione they might be up to something, but they might just want all four of us to spend time together. Can't we just trust that it's that second one?”

“I guess, but do you really think it's a good idea for the four of us to go out in public together?

“I took them to Diagon Alley - nothing happened, we survived.”

“That's true.”

“Plus, you took them to the world cup.”

“And Rita Skeeter figured out there was something happening between us.”

“There was nothing happening between us at the time and unless she's in Diagon Alley with a cameraman waiting to take pictures, I think we'll be fine.”

“I guess you're right,” Hermione said smiling at him before turning around and heading back to the kitchen, Harry right behind him.

“Alright you two, we'll take you to Diagon Alley,” Harry said when they re-entered the kitchen. Lily and James both smiled in response and because they had gotten their way.

“How about you two go get your bags while your father and I talk to Molly and Arthur?” The twins nodded and sprinted from the room.

“So how were they?” Hermione asked, sitting down across the table from Molly. Harry sat down in the seat next to her one of his hands resting on her knee.

“They were perfectly well behaved - I'm afraid we didn't entertain them well and they did miss both of you. But they were never out of line,” Molly replied smiling at Hermione. “How did you raise those two to behave so well?”

“I don't know. I think I just got really lucky,” Hermione said, smiling brightly.

“Did Ron write you about the party yet?” Harry asked Molly and Arthur, remembering the letter Ron had sent the night before - forgetting that he hadn't yet told Hermione.

“What party?” Hermione asked as Molly and Arthur nodded their heads yes.

“Oh, sorry `Mione I forgot - Ron and Luna are planning a party for the boys. He sent me a letter about it last night while I was getting the twins ready.”

“Oh,” Hermione said nodding her head in understanding.

“Yeah, Ron wrote us about it as well - he wants to have it here instead of their little cottage.”

“I think they've successfully outgrown that place,” Hermione commented. Ron and Luna's cottage was a small one-story, two-bedroom home that they loved.

“They'll have to move out of there before too long.”

“They should have moved when they found out she was having three, but no, Luna loves that cottage - just couldn't imagine having her children anywhere else but there,” Molly said, her bottom lip stiffing as if she greatly wanted to make a comment about Luna, but was restraining herself.

“And in the end she had them here,” Harry said, remembering those interesting eighteen hours.

“Yes well, I told her once it came down to it that it really wouldn't matter, and I was right. She doesn't even care that she had them here instead of there.”

“Yeah - have they even looked at other places?” Hermione asked with a great deal of concern. She knew brothers could share a room, but five people were just too many for such a small amount of space. Even if three of those people were merely babies.

“Not that I know of, the boys are so new still - I don't think they want to be away from them long enough to find somewhere else.”

“Maybe we could help them,” Hermione suggested, “Harry and I could look at houses and once we've found one we think they'd like, we could watch the kids while they looked at it.”

“What do you know about buying houses?” Harry asked skeptically.

“Well I bought one of my own, didn't I? And when I was 20 no less.”

“I bought one when I was 18, what does that matter? It doesn't mean I know anything about it.”

“Yes, well I researched it.”

“Of course you did,” Harry joked at her.

“I don't research everything,” Hermione said a bit defensively. “I didn't research you before we went out.”

“What's to research - you know everything about me.”

“Not everything - just a whole lot.” Hermione said leaning over and kissing him softly.

“So, dinner went well.” Arthur said, squeezing his wife's hands affectionately - remembering when they were that young and in love.

“It went very well.”

“What went well?” James asked bounding down the stairs, his bag slung across his chest and his sister on his heals.

“Our dinner.” Hermione said pulling James up next to her so she could tidy his hair a bit.

“How could dinner go bad?” Lily asked walking across the kitchen and crawling up into Harry's lap.

“You would be surprised how many things can go wrong,” Hermione said, letting go off James and watching, with a frown on her face, as he ruffled his hair up again.

“Like what?” Lily asked.

“You'll learn someday,” Harry said taking the pressure to find a valid answer off Hermione. “Well, come on `Mione, lets take these two to Diagon Alley.”

“Yeah - we did promise we would.” James and Lily exchanged a proud look, as if they had pulled off some grand scheme getting their parents to agree to this. Lily got down out of Harry's lap and walked over, hugging Molly and Arthur goodbye. James quickly followed her example and then they were standing over by the fireplace, looking at their parents expectantly.

“Alright, alright,” Hermione said walking over to them, pulling a flowerpot off the mantle and holding it out to them. “Now I want you two to wait right next to the fireplace - don't wander into the Pub, your father and I will be there right after you and then the four of us will go into the alley.”

“Yes Mum,” the twins said obediently, both taking a handful of glittering powder and then in turn, throwing it into the fire and saying “Diagon Alley”. When they were gone, Hermione turned back to Molly and Arthur and thanked them again for watching the kids.

“Oh, it really was no problem dear,” Molly said, hugging Hermione and then Harry.

“Anytime you want to spend sometime alone you can bring them over here, we'll be happy to take care of them,” Arthur said from his seat at the table.

“We'll keep that in mind,” Harry said. The four of them said their good byes and Harry and Hermione disappeared to The Leaky Cauldron.

“Took you long enough.” James said, as Harry and Hermione appeared a few feet in front of The Leaky Cauldron fireplace where Lily and James were waiting impatiently.

“Well, we had to say goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa didn't we?” Hermione said. “We couldn't just pop out of their kitchen without saying anything.”

“That's true,” James said reasonably, leading his sister and his parents through the Pub's dark bar and out to the back, where the entrance of Diagon Alley was hidden.

“He's quite the take charge type isn't he?” Harry whispered as they followed James and Lily, holding out his hand for hers.

“Yes he is - I've no idea where he gets that from,” Hermione said innocently, knowing full well that he got his somewhat bossy side from her.

“I've got a pretty good idea,” Harry joked squeezing her hand lightly. “But you know you can boss me around any day.”

“I'll be sure to keep that in mind,” Hermione said pulling out her wand as they reached the brick wall entrance to Diagon Alley. She tapped the appropriate bricks and the archway appeared in front of them.

“So why exactly are we here?” Hermione asked, and Harry gave her a look. Realizing what she had said, she clarified herself, “I mean, what shops did you want to visit?”

“Can we go for ice cream first?” James asked, looking over to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor.

“Of course we can,” Harry said dismissing Hermione's look.

“Harry - it's not even lunch yet,” Hermione said as the kids led them over to the ice cream parlor.

“'Mione having ice cream for breakfast one time isn't going to hurt them.”

“You want ice cream too don't you?” Hermione asked with a smile.

“Only a little.”

“Hey, come here,” Hermione said puling Harry aside as the twins walked into the parlor.

“What?” Harry asked. Hermione smiled at him and pulled him out of the crowd of people and kissed him softly. Harry smiled into her lips as he wrapped one of his arms around her back and pulled her body into his. Hermione's hands went to the back of Harry's neck and she raised herself onto her toes in an effort to bring their faces closer together.

“What was that for?” Harry asked as their lips parted.

“For being you,” Hermione said taking his hands and leading him back towards the parlor.

“If that's my reward, I'll have to remember to be myself more often.”

“Well I was watching you - with - the - what's going on?” Hermione said as they walked up to the parlor and saw a crowd forming inside. They pushed their way through the crowd only to find that is was forming around the twins.

“I have no idea,” Harry whispered pushing people aside in an attempt to reach his children. As he worked through the crowd he heard people whispering and he knew for a fact that that was never a good thing.

“It's true then.”

“Yes there they are.”

“They look just like him.”

“That poor girl - she thinks he loves her.”

“Well what do you expect, he's been playing with that girls emotions since they were teenagers. Hopefully she'll see him for what he truly is and take those kids to someone who will want them.” That was the comment that really caught Harry's attention - what the hell were these people talking about? And why did it seem like they were talking about him?

“There you are.” Lily said as Harry and Hermione reached them. “What happened?”

“My shoe slipped off,” Hermione said, coming up with a quick excuse.

“Well people have been looking at us and pointing.” James said stepping towards Harry; subconsciously asking his father to protect him.

“And whispering - there's been a lot of whispering.”

“I think we need to get out of here,” Harry said grabbing James' hand and pulling him to the door. Hermione grabbed Lily and they hurried after the boys. Out in the Alley, Harry was nearly running to get to the nearest safe haven - Weasley Wizard Wheezes. Harry didn't notice it before because he was so used to attention by now, but people all over the Alley were looking their way or staring at them.

“Fred - George!” Harry roared as he pulled open the door to the joke shop - ignoring the closed sign that still hung in the window. He pushed James inside and held the door open for Hermione and Lily, who hurried in quickly.

“Harry - what are you doing here?” George asked, coming out of the stock room.

“Mate, do you think it was a good idea to come out today?” Fred asked following George out into the main store. “I mean the four of you out together - isn't that just going to add fuel to the fire?”

“What are you talking about? What's going on out there?” Harry said, gesturing to the storefront where several people were trying to “innocently” look in through the window.

“You don't know?” Fred asked, sounding shocked.

“Of course they don't know,” George said with a sudden realization, “they don't get the paper.” George pulled a newspaper off the front counter.

“The paper?” Harry and Hermione questioned together as George held it out to them.

“Just read it - it'll all become painfully clear.” The second they had scanned the headline on the front-page, everything made sense. Under a black and white photo of Harry and the twins on the ground of his forest flying arena, laughing and smiling, was the headline:

Golden Boy Harry Potter Not So Golden

We are all familiar with the story of Harry Potter, 28, and his contributions to the Wizarding World through his heroic actions and Quidditch prowess. But it seems that even the Heroic Potter has his secrets, writes Rita Skeeter. In an exclusive report The Daily Prophet can reveal what Mr. Potter has been keeping from us all these years - he's a father. This reporter recently discovered that Mr. Potter is the father of nine-year-old twins, both a boy and a girl (see above photo). It has also been discovered that the mother of these twins is Mr. Potter's school “friend”, Hermione Granger.

According to a source the twins were conceived the very night that Voldemort was defeated. When Miss Granger, 28, discovered she was pregnant, Mr. Potter, not wanting to risk his budding Quidditch career, shipped her off to America, where she has been for the past ten years. Miss Granger had to go through pregnancy, delivery, and the early years of parenting alone with very little support from Mr. Potter, who spent the past ten years going from woman to woman - even being engaged to a muggle at one point.

Now that he has retired from Quidditch, Mr. Potter has found the time to bring these children into his life. Apparently using his legendary charm to convince their mother to bring them to England, perhaps under the guise that they would be together once again. This reporter hopes that Miss Granger will discover the game Mr. Potter is playing and protect her children from the foul man the Boy-Who-Lived has become.

“What is this rubbish?” Harry asked when he had finished the article.

“What is it Daddy?” Lily asked, trying to see the paper Harry was holding just out of reach.

“Where did she get that picture?” Hermione asked, sure that if Harry had let them take this picture, he would have told her.

“Damn it all I forgot to tell you -” Harry said and then looking over the paper he saw the twins standing there. He didn't want to involve them in this anymore then they already were. “Um guys could one of you -?” Harry asked motioning from James to Lily.

“Right - I'm on it.” George said, “listen James, Lily how about I take you two to my house - my wife Lauren makes great pancakes, I'm sure she'd love to fix you some.”

“What's going on?” Lily insisted as George steered them towards the unlit fireplace in the corner of the store.

“I want to know why those people were staring at us.” James demanded turning back towards his parents.

“Sweethearts, go with George,” Hermione said urgently, “your father and I promise we'll explain what's going on as soon as we understand this thing ourselves.”

“Yes, and we don't understand quite yet - there are still some questions that need answering.” James and Lily reluctantly let George continue to stir them to the fireplace. With a quick wave of his wand, George had lit a fire. He handed glittering Floo Powder to both Lily and James, gave them his address, and, once they were successfully through the grate, he disappeared after them.

“What did you forget to tell me?” Hermione demanded - her voice full of panic.

“Yesterday after we had flown, when we were heading back towards the house, I heard this odd clicking noise and I was sure it was a camera, I've had enough pictures taken of me that I know the noise, but when I looked I couldn't find anyone there. How did they even know I was there and with the twins no less?”

“How does she know any of the things she knows for that matter? I mean, she knows when they were conceived, where I went when I disappeared - even the fact that she knows I'm the mother has me baffled.”

“Well she did see you two together at the World Cup - you told me that yourself, mate.” Fred said and Harry nodded.

“I knew something like this would happen - I just knew it. God, we really should have seen this coming - I should have seen this coming, I should have been more careful.”

“There's nothing we can do about it now. Oh God Harry! She's made you out to be a cold hearted, womanizing, monster.”

“She's also made you out to be an utter fool. You'd never fall for anyone's - what was the phrase again,” Harry scanned the last paragraph of the article, “ah yes - legendary charm.”

“What are we going to do about this?”

“What can you do about it?”

“Well, the first thing we are going to do about it is straighten that filthy excuse for a woman out. Come on, `Mione, we're going to pay the beetle a little visit.”

Knowing that their children were safely away form prying eyes, Harry and Hermione disappeared to the main office of Wizarding Britain's biggest newspaper. Completely ignoring the receptionist Harry led Hermione to the back office where the paper's editor-in-chief worked. Again, they encountered a receptionist, this one insisting that the editor was in a meeting, and again Harry pushed passed her. Harry slammed the door open and interrupted a conversation between the editor and the only person he had ever actually wanted to kill.

“You,” Harry bellowed pulling out his wand and pointing it at Rita Skeeter. “I'll kill you for what you've done!”

“What I've done,” Rita said sweetly, trying to sound calm, though it was clear to everyone that she was frightened. “All I've done, Harry, is what I've always done - report the truth.”

“It's not bad enough that you throw my love life around like it's public business and treat me like I'm just some object that will sell your paper. No! You have to turn my children into a public skeptical!”

Rita's eyes lit up when he mentioned the children; perhaps she thought she was going to get an interview because she pulled out her Quick-Quotes Quill and was just reaching for a piece of parchment when Harry blasted the quill off the desk, leaving quite a large blast mark.

“You've made enough trouble for me with that,” Harry commented, returning his wand to its position - pointing at Rita's neck.

“Now, now Mr. Potter,” the editor said calmly from his desk, “there is no need for violence and threats - tell me what the problem is.”

“You want to know the problem?” Harry asked, turning to the editor, his wand still gripped tightly in his fist. “This woman has written lies about me and my family! Lies that have hurt us and made my nine year old children unsafe in public places! We were just in Diagon Alley, and you want to know what happened? Their mother and I stepped away for less then a minute, and by the time we came back, a crowd had formed around them.”

“People were pointing at them and whispering,” Hermione added when Harry paused.

“Pointing and whispering and scaring them. They're nine for Gods sakes! Did you even consider them when you published this trash?”

“All I've reported Harry is the truth.”

“You've done nothing of the sort.”

“You don't deny they're your children?”

“Of course I don't - what would be the point of that.”

“So what have I misrepresented - I know the story doesn't show you in a positive light, but I can't help it if that's how the truth is.”

“Stop calling this absolute rubbish the truth! You got two fact rights - that I am their father and the date they were conceived. Everything else in here is wrong.”

“Why don't you set the record straight for us then?”

“Because I don't have to explain my life to you. What happened between Hermione and I - is just that - between Hermione and I. It's has nothing to do with you or the rest of the Wizarding World.”

“No, Harry, the only way we are going to fix this is if we set the record straight.” Hermione said from behind him.

“But `Mione it's not their business.”

“I know that Harry, but her report is out there now for anyone to read and unless we correct it, that's what people who don't know us are going to think and I don't want this filtering to James and Lily - I don't want them to think we've been lying to them.”

“Only if you're sure - you know this will probably turn everyone against you.”

“I'm sure Harry, besides, what I did to you and the twins was wrong so they can turn against me if they want to. I'd rather everyone hate me for the truth than hate you for a lie.”

“Wonderful,” Rita said smiling wickedly. “If you'll follow me - I'll lead you back to my desk and you two can tell me your whole story.”

“Like hell I'm telling you anything.” Harry said before turning to the editor. “We'll tell your paper the real story, but we won't tell it to her.”

“That's fine with me - I'll take you to one of our more reliable writers,” the editor said stepping around his desk and leading them towards the door. Rita's face darkened in anger as Harry pocketed his wand and followed the editor out of the room. Before stepping through the doorway, Hermione turned to Rita.

“So you know - I will be telling the Ministry about your little secret once Harry and I are finished here.”

“No one will believe you - they'll think its just retribution for the story I wrote.” Rita said confidently, but Hermione could see fear in her eyes.

“I have a few influential friends in the Ministry - I'll send them the tip that Rita Skeeter is an unregistered animagus. They'll see that is delivered to the right people and there will be an investigation,” Hermione said, stepping through the doorway, proud of herself for finding out that little secret all those years ago. And she could tell, by the look in Rita's eyes, that she still wasn't registered. Hurrying down the hall to catch up to Harry and the editor, Hermione reached them just as the editor was apologizing for the millionth time.

“I know Rita can be- creative at times, but she assured me her facts were right. And I was so thrilled that we were the first with the story I guess I didn't bother to check anything. I really am sorry about this and what it's done to your family. I hope this won't dampen your view of The Prophet.”

“Oh it's not possible - I lost all respect for this paper when I was 15 and you dedicated almost a year to telling people I was a lying, attention seeking prat.”

“Yes we have made our mistakes haven't we? I wasn't editor back then though.”

“Well then I won't blame you - now who is this reliable writer you are taking us to.”

“Oh bright kid, was your year at Hogwarts, you might know him.”

“Harry, Hermione - what are you two doing here?” A voice said from behind them - a voice that still held the faint echoes of an Irish accent that had been ebbed away with time away from his native land. Harry and Hermione turned to see a somewhat tall man with sandy hair and freckles looking at them in utter shock.

“Ah Finnigan - I was just coming to look for you. The story Rita wrote wasn't entirely accurate so they've come to set things straight.”

“Oh right, yeah no problem. You guys can just follow me to my desk and we can straighten everything out,” Seamus said, pushing past them and heading to the desk in the corner.

“If I knew you worked here, I would have guessed this was your desk Seamus,” Harry said pointing to the Irish memorabilia all around his desk, including a small Irish flag and a picture of Seamus with this year's Ireland cup team.

“Yeah - I haven't been properly home since we left Hogwarts, so I keep as much around me to remind myself of home as I possibly can. You two can just sit there,” Seamus pointed at two chairs in front of his desk.

“Right, thanks,” Harry said, pulling out a chair for Hermione and then sitting down next to her.

“So, Rita's been spreading more lies about you, has she?” Seamus asked, rummaging through his desk for parchment and quill.

“Yeah she has - did you read the article this morning?”

“The one about you two having kids and you shipping Hermione off to America?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah, I read it last night when she brought it in. I told Morris, that's our editor, the guy who walked you down here, that it didn't sound like you two at all. I mean, Hermione would never leave for America because you wanted to hide her away, which you would never do in the first place. But I have to tell you that picture she took is pretty damaging - you two will have a hard time proving that's not real.” Seamus straightened up in his seat and pulled a long piece of parchment up with him.

“See, the thing is, Seamus, those are our children - Rita got that part right.” Hermione said not wanting to meet her old school mate's eyes.

“What?!”

“Yeah,” Harry said taking Hermione's hand and squeezing it. “Those kids in the photo are our twins. Their names are James and Lily and they're nine. She got that right and who their mother is, obviously, or Hermione wouldn't be here. And the date of their conception - though how she found that out worries me.”

“Me too,” Seamus said, looking at them blankly. “So then what is your problem with the article?”

“Well what happened between Hermione and I for one -” Harry started to say, but Hermione held up her hand to cut him off.

“No, Harry, it was my doing, I'll tell Seamus what happened.” Hermione then told their story again. The sort of skipped over the conception part of it since that was too private to share with the whole world and went into Hermione's choice to leave and give Harry his life. She told Seamus of how the two of them talked everyday and how guilty she felt about no telling him, but that she had stood firm in her resolve that it was the best thing for Harry. She included the details of their first meeting after the World Cup, and everything that had led to them living with Harry. She mentioned that she and Harry were dating now, though she made it clear that they had not been dating when they were seventeen, so the idea of her coming back to England with the hope that she and Harry would be together again was ridiculous. After about an hour of talking, Hermione reached the end of the story and sat quietly while Seamus finished up what he was writing.

“Well, I think that about covers everything - I'm sorry you two have to go through this. But at least now people will know the truth.”

“Yeah,” Hermione said quietly. She remembered the hate mail she had gotten last time an article about her hurting Harry had been published. Luckily now no one knew where she lived.

“I'll clean this up and give it to Morris, and we'll try to squeeze it into tomorrow's paper - I'm just sorry we can't do anything about it sooner than that.”

“Yeah well - thanks for helping us this much, but I think we need to get back to the twins now - they're probably still worried about all this,” Harry said standing up. Hermione got up as well and the two started walking down the hall.

“Wow - you two with kids, that is such a trip.” Seamus said politely walking with them, back out of the offices to the receptionist's area where they could Disapparate.

“Why?” Harry asked a bit defensively.

“Well I don't know you were nearly inseparable at school it's weird to see you as anything other then good friends - that's all. Dean will be shocked to hear it too.”

“You two stayed friends then?”

“Yeah we did - we've been flat mates since we left Hogwarts. Though that changes on Wednesday.”

“Really - why?”

“Dean's getting married on Wednesday.”

“Wow - to who?”

“This girl Emily. She's an American Witch he met on vacation five years ago.”

“So is she moving here?”

“Yeah she is - she used to visit here a lot, she has a cousin our age that lives in London. She says it's like her second home and she always wanted to live here so that worked out for them.”

“Well what about you then? You seeing anyone?”

“Emily's cousin Mary, actually - we've been dating for a couple years now - I'm thinking of asking her to marry me after the wedding on Wednesday.”

“You and Dean will be cousins then?”

“If she says yes.”

“I'm sure she will,” Hermione said kindly as they reached the receptionist's desk.

“Well, I hope she does anyway. I really love her and it'd be nice to settle down. I've been a bachelor long enough. Oh and I heard about Luna and Ron - give them my best, will you?”

“We will Seamus - it was good seeing you again.”

“Yeah, too bad it had to be under these circumstances.”

“Yeah, bye Seamus.”

“Bye Harry, Hermione,” Seamus said as Harry and Hermione Disapparated. They appeared a few seconds later in the front hall of George and Lauren's house.

“Wow - everyone we know is settling down,” Harry said.

“Yeah they are,” Hermione said, taking Harry's hand and squeezing it lightly. Harry smiled at her and knew she was thinking the same thing he was. It would be their time soon.

AN: So maybe it wasn't first thing in the morning, but still. Anywho - so you know I'm working on chapter 22, but I'm going to visit my dad in Cleveland on Thursday. I wont be back till the 6th and I have no idea if I'll have access to the internet so I don't know when the next chapter will be up, hopefully next week if I have internet (and finish the chapter), but I can't promise anything for sure.

Chapter 18 reviews: diggingupophelia - thank you, the Tom Felton thing is one of my favorite little things - I just couldn't help it I need Jenna to have moved on and well that does prove she's moved on Coolone007 - covering up the truth is a very tricky thing, that's why I avoid it at all costs ; ) Chancellor - I like this one better too kw702955 - : ) harrynmione - : ) spaz141 - I like sweetness, it does a body good ginnymalfoy21 - I'm a bit of a Tom fan; I love him as Draco, he was great in Anna and the King, and I can't stop laughing when I see him in The Barrowers, but I actually wrote him as the fiancé because my friend Jen (my beta Jen who the character is named after) loves Tom and so I gave her what she wanted if only in the fictional sense PJ - well if you think he would enjoy it and you want to tell him about it you certainly can, lol, yeah Harry and his kids are kindred souls - they just instantly clicked princess hanna2003 - well no because there aren't Harry Potter books in this story (remember Harry told her there was an idea for books but he hadn't agreed to it) so there aren't going to be movies, but I thought it would be funny since he was in the story to mention that he looks like Malfoy chocolatefroggie - : )

Chapter 20 reviews: (since so many of you got the quote right I'll just put a star next to your name) hrhermione - : ) LupisNoctis1286 - * he was just lost in the moment, he was only thinking about him and Hermione fairyp80 - I'm sorry, did you figure it out yet - you know you could have just cheated off the other reviewers papers and figured out what it was : ) and yes I love the fluffy ness too Alorkin - I think that might have been more information then I needed *raisesaneyebrow* - oh well yes Harry has a great deal of self control, but I like him this way - he wants everything to be perfect between them coriander -* I'm evil that's how : ) Lily Grace -* : ) tabitoo - well now that's an interesting idea, but no no shagging just yet, though that wouldn't have really changed anything sam - thank you and thank you again : ) Coolone007 - oh well it's not going to be good, but such is life I suppose MrsDanielRadcliffe - indeed, I'll give you two stars (**) `cause you did your homework (or are just obsessed with that movie) oh and I definitely agree Heath Ledger (YUM) Tomlove01 - it really isn't good, but at least we get to see Seamus diggingupophelia - oh no I would never have something that bad happen Chancellor - : ) Austenlover - yeah I thought that was pretty great too Gemma - * yes they are mae513 - yes indeed you can * <- see there it is, though it's not so golden `cause yeah, but it's gold in spirit Woodrow M - oh God no, that's not going to happen - no day trips to those woods for Aragog kw702955 - : ) HHRLVR - because it's better for the plot I think ; ) MissLexiRe - * : ) sertad - indeed chica - no more fights…for a while anyway, but fights are part of any normal relationship and it is progressing I promise spaz141 - indeed it is unplotable, but it's also a muggle property so they just had to look for a muggle property under the name Harry Potter and hope he showed up with his kids - the camera man had actually been camped out there for about a week and a half trying to catch something. As for wards it doesn't have muggle repelling wards because it's in a muggle neighborhood and well it's very secluded so Harry was just assuming no Wizards would think of looking up a muggle property in his name. Very good questions - no ones ever asked them before ginnymalfoy21 - * : ) div - * : ) yes it was a bit sappy, but it was a romantic dinner and it was either going to be sappy or a snogging fest and that's not going to happen just yet izzieq - hey I respect that and that's cool - I'm glad you enjoy my writing though Misadies1 - oh don't worry it wont PJ - I think James is getting enough attention, he's kinda quiet, but Harry plays Wizard Chess with him and spends a lot of time with him that you guys aren't seeing because it hasn't fit into the story just yet. Lily is Daddy's little girl, she really is, but like I said James just isn't very talkative so it seems like he's not getting a lot of attention, but don't worry he is : ) - I'm glad your so concerned for them Hdwane - : ) princess hana2003 - : ) down2earthangl85 - : ) scorpio-1983 - : ) harrynmione - : ) JayaMioneDurron - : ) Mani12191 - : ) Slayer5758 - : ) Jillian84 - * : ) lannereddy - : ) scorpio-1983 - : ) DreamAngel - * : ) Lajo1013 - no not Colin, he would never work for Rita ***Patti*** - : ) jenmor - : )

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22. Aftermath

AN: sorry it took me a little over a month to get this chapter up, but this chapter didn't like me and it took me about 2 months to write - hopefully the rest of the chapters will like me and future updates won't take as long.

Aftermath

George and Lauren's kitchen was eerily quite when Harry and Hermione stepped into it a few minutes later. They were by the sink whispering, while Lily and James sat at the table. Lily was staring at George and Lauren, trying to read their lips, James was pushing pieces around on his plate. Harry had only ever been in such a somber situation once before and that had been the night Arthur Weasley almost died.

“You are supposed to eat that James, not make it a mess,” Harry said with a laugh and everyone turned to him. No one in the kitchen had heard either of them come down the hall.

“What happened? What took you so long?” Lily asked immediately.

“Where to begin?” Hermione muttered under her breath as she and Harry sat down at the table directly opposite the twins.

“What Mum?”

“Nothing Lily.”

“Should we leave?” George asked, not sure if he and Lauren were intruding by being there.

“No, you can stay,” Harry assured them. “This isn't news to either of you. Besides, it'll be all over the paper tomorrow.”

“That bad?” Lauren asked coming up next to the table, George at her side.

“Well, yes and no,” Hermione said. “We went to the paper's offices -”

“What?” Lily and James asked in unison.

“All right, let's start from the beginning,” Harry commenced. “This morning, a newspaper called The Daily Prophet ran a story about the four of us.”

“The problem with the article was that it was full of lies,” Hermione continued for Harry when he paused. “Lies that made your father look like a bad person.”

“It also talked about you two, that's why everyone was staring.”

“What did it say?” James asked.

“Well, it mostly talked about the relationship between your Mum and I. But it mentioned you,” Harry said, not entirely sure how to word it.

“You see,” Hermione continued, seeing that the twins were still confused. “Before this article came out, the Wizarding public didn't know that your father had any children.”

“Should he not have children?” Lily asked.

“It's not that he shouldn't have children. It's just that your father has led a very public life, and because of that the Wizarding public thinks it has a right to know everything about him.”

“So why didn't you just tell them about us?”

“Because we didn't want people to point and stare at you. We didn't want you to become a public spectacle.”

“But why would we?” James asked.

“What's wrong with us?” Lily inquired; her large green eyes looking sadder than Harry had ever seen them; he felt his eyes tear up just by looking at her.

“Come here loves,” Harry said holding out his arms to his children. They nearly sprinted around the table to him and into his arms. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with you; you two are the best children we could ever hope for.”

“Then why don't people want us to be around?” James asked as Hermione pulled him onto her lap.

“It's not that they don't want you around - it's that they judge,” Hermione cleared pulling James' hair off his face. “They're judging your father and me for not getting married when I found out about you, and so they are judging you.”

“Marrying would have been the proper thing to do,” Harry said smiling at Hermione. It struck him as funny that all of a sudden Hermione, who had always been the `good and proper' one, had done something so against what people would expect. “But that's not what happened and we can't change that now. What you two need to understand is that you are wanted. Your mother wants you, I want you, the Weasleys want you and everyone else who knows you, wants and loves you.”

“But then why are those people judging us?” James pressed.

“I don't know, love. I don't know anymore then what we've told you,” Hermione said admitting defeat.

Harry looked at her sympathetically, he didn't really know how to answer that question either; at least not without explaining to his children that they were illegitimate and he hated that label.

“Where did you go once you disappeared?” Lily asked turning her questioning eyes to her mother.

“We went to the newspaper offices to correct the article. I didn't want people believing the lies the reporter was saying about your father.”

“So there'll be another article?” George asked.

“Yeah, tomorrow morning,” Hermione answered turning towards him.

“And it'll be…?”

“They real story.”

“The real - real story.”

“Yes, I decided that telling the truth would be the best idea,” Hermione sighed. “I'm sure people will hate me because of it, but it's what had to be done.”

“Why would they hate you Mum?” James asked.

“I made a very unpopular choice, a very bad choice, all those years ago. And now that people are going to know the truth, I'm afraid they will be very upset with me.”

“You won't let them hate her, will you Daddy?” Lily asked.

“I don't know if there is anything I can do about it. People form there own opinions, I think people who read the article will know that I don't hate her, and that's the best I can do.”

“Well then they should talk to us. We can tell them not to hate her - that she's a great Mum,” James offered.

“Oh that's very sweet of you to offer, but I don't think that would work.”

“But then how are they ever going to understand?” Lily asked.

“I don't know that they will love, I don't know that they are.”

“Well then, what can we do?”

“I don't reckon there is anything we can do.”

“So then, what will you do?” Lauren asked, “Pretend the article wasn't written?”

“All we're going to do is what we've already been doing; live our lives. Harry and the twins are just getting to know each other, and I won't let anyone take that relationship away now that they've found it.”

“Plus there is you two,” George whispered quietly and Harry, who heard him, nodded his head slightly.

“So what do we do know?” James asked turning to his parents.

“Well now I think we are going to go home,” Hermione said looking at Harry, who nodded in agreement. “It'll probably be easiest to avoid the public for right now.”

“Do you still have your bags?” Harry asked, not seeing the bags anywhere.

“Oh yeah, I put them in the next room,” Lauren said letting go off George's hand. “I'll go get them.”

“All right, thanks Lauren,” Hermione said letting James off her lap and getting to her feet. “And thank you George for sweeping them away when you did.”

“Ah, it's no problem. It was probably best to get them out of there as fast as possible.”

“Well, thank you just the same.”

“Hey, what's family for, if not to help?” George asked hugging Hermione.

“I guess I don't know.”

“Don't worry Hermione,” George whispered in Hermione's ear. “You two will get through this with your family intact. And anyone who is narrow minded enough to hate you for something you did when you were seventeen isn't worth your time.”

“Thanks George, it's nice to know you guys are here for us.”

“We will always be. Like I said, we're family,” George assured her letting her go as Lauren came back into the kitchen with the twins' bags.

“Here you go,” Lauren said holding out the bags to Lily and James.

“Thanks Aunt Lauren,” Lily said sweetly taking the bags, she threw hers over her shoulder and handed the other to James.

“They are so polite,” Lauren observed.

“They can be when they want to be,” Harry told her. “Just like your husband.”

“My husband can be polite? That's news to me.” Lauren laughed looking over to George.

“Hey! I don't have any idea what he's talking about.” George answered back smiling mischievously. “Harry, I think you got hit in the head by a Bludger a few too many times - you should have a Healer check that out for you.”

“Oh okay I'll get right on that,” Harry laughed. “Well, come along kids - I think it's time we got home.”

“Okay Dad.”

“You guys can use this fireplace if you want to.” George offered starting a fire in the kitchen fireplace with a wave of his hand.

“Thanks George. All right you two, you know the drill,” Harry said pulling a bag of floo powder out of his pocket and holding out to them.

“Are you two going to apparate after us?” Lily asked nervously.

“How about we do it this way,” Hermione started crossing the room to the fireplace. “I'll apparate home and then I'll be waiting for you when you get there.”

“That sounds good,” Lily said sounding very reassured.

Harry and Hermione shared a concerned looked. For Lily to be so shaken up was very worrying, but Hermione realized that they just needed to get home as soon as possible. She mouthed a quick `we'll talk about it at home' to Harry before saying goodbye to Lauren and George and disapparating.

Soon after, she appeared in the kitchen of number twelve and Harry was standing beside her. He assured her that the twins had made it into the floo network safely and then the two of them waited in silence. They didn't have to wait long; about five minutes after Harry arrived they heard the fire burst into life and saw James step out - shortly followed by Lily.

“I'm going to go put my stuff away,” Lily muttered - holding the strap of your bag amazingly tight.

“Okay Lily,” Hermione said sweetly. “James, why don't you do the same?”

“All right Mum,” James called sprinting out of the kitchen, past his sister.

Hermione sighed heavily once the twins were clear of the doorway. Harry silently wrapped one of his arms over her shoulder and pulled her towards him. She moved half-heartedly over to him and wrapped her arms around his back resting her cheek up against his chest.

“This has not been a good day,” Harry stated stroking Hermione's hair back and resting his chin on the top of her head.

“No, it hasn't,” Hermione agreed shaking her head slightly. “And we haven't seen the end of it either. I want to kill that woman for what she did to them, they are so scared of all this.”

“James seems to be alright with it.”

“He's a boy; he hides it well. But Lily…”

“Yeah she's really been shook up.”

“Well listen - I think we should go see Percy.”

“Why, so he can say `I told you so'?” Harry asked pulling his head back and looking down at her.

“No, to tell him about Skeeter, about her being an unregistered animagus,” Hermione answered meeting his eyes.

Harry cocked his head to the side, considering that idea and then smiled. “She certainly deserves it, but I think right now we need to be here for James and Lily. She's shaken and James could be just as frazzled.”

“But I want her to be arrested today,” Hermione growled viciously.

“I know Hermione, but even if we went to talk to Percy today, he wouldn't be able to start the ball rolling until tomorrow. Then they would have to prove what you tell him so she wouldn't be arrested today even if you told him right now. And the kids need us right now.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Hermione sighed knowing Harry was right; he smiled sweetly at her before kissing her lips softly. “We should probably go check on the kids.”

“All right,” Harry said, reluctantly letting Hermione out of his arms. “So I'll take James you take Lily.”

“Yeah, he'll probably open up to you - after all I'm only his mother.”

“Don't say that,” Harry insisted seriously wrapping his arm around her waist and steering her towards the door. “It's not that you're his mother, it's that you're a girl.”

“Oh that's so much better. Though I suppose he's getting to that age, isn't he?”

“I guess,” Harry mumbled shrugging his shoulders.

“Well at least he has you now,” Hermione said with a smile. “A guy to talk to when us girls won't do.”

Harry smiled back at her and kissed the side of her head softly. “I know it's hard…” he started to say, but Hermione cut him off.

“It's hard, but it's also a relief. I knew nothing about raising children when I had them, and even less about raising a boy. I didn't have a brother or male cousins - the only real experience I had with boys growing up was being around you and Ron, and no offence, but that didn't prove to be of much help.”

Harry smiled at her as they reached the second floor; he let go off her reluctantly and walked away towards James' bedroom. Hermione watched him for a minute and then continued up the stairs to Lily's room.

“Lily, honey?” Hermione said knocking softly on Lily's door when she reached it. “Can I come in and talk to you?”

“Sure,” Lily muttered pulling her door open. She stepped back and Hermione followed her in.

“How are you doing sweetheart?” Hermione asked sitting down next to Lily.

“I'm fine,” Lily muttered, looking down at her hands nervously.

“No you're not - I can see you're not. So why don't you tell me what's bothering you?”

“I'm worried,” Lily admitted looking up to her mother.

Hermione waited for a few minutes - hoping Lily would explain herself further, but she didn't. “Worried about what?”

“Well, all those people,” Lily explained as if that answered Hermione's question.

“What about all those people?”

“The way they were looking at James and I,” Lily answered. “It just didn't feel safe.”

“No it didn't, did it?” Hermione agreed

“No, and I don't like it.”

“I don't like it either,” Hermione said truthfully. “But hopefully sweetheart, now that those people know the truth, the attention surrounding you will die down.”

“But you said now they're going to get mad at you.”

“No, I said I think they'll hate me.”

“But I don't want people to hate you,” Lily insisted. Hermione wrapped her arm around Lily's shoulder and pulled her close.

“I don't want them to hate me either,” Hermione said simply stroking Lily's hair. “But I want them to hate you're father even less. And if I have to be hated to protect you two and you're father then I'll do that.”

“But that hardly seems fair.”

“No it isn't, but life isn't always fair. In fact, it's rarely fair at all. But you know we get through the tough bits with the help of our loved ones, and we pray that the rough bits don't last too long.”

“So that's what we have to do now?” Lily asked skeptically

“Well, it's really our only option. Except of course denying all of it, but that wont really help us.”

“No, I guess it won't.”

“Listen, we'll get through this and everything will be just fine. It will take a while, but this too will pass. We'll wait this out and be just fine.”

“You sure Mum?”

“I'm sure. Your father and I will keep you and your brother safe from those people.”

“But who will keep you and Daddy safe from them?”

“We'll keep each other safe. Don't worry about us, all right?”

“All right Mum.”

“All right Lily,” Hermione echoed getting to her feet. Lily stood as well and hugged her mother tightly. “Now that that is settled, how do you want to spend the rest of your afternoon?”

“I don't know, I guess going flying isn't an option?”

“No, I don't think so.”

“Does that mean we have to study?”

“No it doesn't. I think you're experience today merits some time off, though I wouldn't make you study on the weekend - I never have before.”

“Yeah, so where's James?”

“Down in his room with your Dad.”

“Oh - so this is like divide and conquer?”

“Something like that I guess,” Hermione admitted. “But we can go check on them if you want.”

“We don't have to,” Lily insisted innocently, though Hermione saw her looking anxiously at the door. In stressful times James and Lily had always clung to each other, like they were all they had in the world. Hermione was sure it was a twin thing that she didn't understand.

“Let's go see what they are up to.”

“Only if you want to...”

“I want to, come on Lily - I'm sure they'll be done talking by now.”

“Okay Mum,” Lily said with a smile leading the way out of her room and into the hall. Hermione watched as Lily sprinted down the stairs and to her brother's room.

“Watch it there, Lily,” Hermione heard Harry saying with a laugh.

“Sorry Daddy,” Lily apologized sweetly, but impatiently.

“It's all right love, just be more careful next time.”

“All right Daddy - I was just coming down to see -”

“Well go on then, I was just going to check on something, I'll be right back.”

“Okay.” Hermione heard James' door closed and walked to the head of the stairs. Harry was standing at the bottom looking up to her.

“You were right, he was frazzled by it, but he seems fine now,” Harry informed her.

“Yeah Lily was the same way, I think she was just a bit overwhelmed by it all.”

“James as well,” Harry agreed. “But I told him we'd make it through this as a family because that's what families do.”

“That's about the same thing I told Lily.”

“We're not half bad at this parenting thing, are we?” Harry mused.

“No, we're not,” Hermione smiled at him. “Actually, I think we're rather good at it.”

“Well, I promised James we'd play chess so I'd better go get the board.”

“Have fun.”

“Oh I will. I tell you, it's a good thing I'm not used to winning at this game because James is just as good at chess as Ron.”

“You mean I got their father wrong?” Hermione joked.

Harry looked back at her over his shoulder and laughed a very dry laugh - it almost sounded like he was coughing at her. “You're so funny, `Mione - so funny.”

“You know I'm just kidding,” Hermione assured him. Harry looked up at her sternly. “Harry, I love you, I was only joking.” Harry's expression didn't change a bit. “Come on Harry I was joking,” Hermione explained again as she hurried down the stairs towards Harry, “just go and look at them if you think for even one second -”

Just as Hermione reached the second floor landing Harry's face split into a giant smile and he started laughing. Hermione smacked Harry's arm, a bit more than playfully, which just caused him to laugh harder. “Harry that wasn't funny - you had me worried that I had hurt you're feelings or something.”

“It was about as funny as your joke about Ron being their father,” Harry offered still chuckling at the priceless look that had been on her face when she sprinted down the stairs.

“Fine - I'm sorry I even joked about Ron being the twins' father.”

“Good.”

“Aren't you going to apologize?”

“No, I hadn't planned to,” Harry assured her placing his hands on either side of her face and kissing her softly, apologetically.

“Hm - I think I like this crazy, wordless apology of yours.” Hermione said softly, running her finger along the curve of Harry's face.

“I thought you would,” Harry explained kissing the very tip of her nose before removing his hands from her face. “But I think I really need to go get the chess board now.”

“Yes - you wouldn't want to keep your son waiting.”

“No, I wouldn't - I wouldn't want to keep either of my children waiting; though I wouldn't mind spending more time alone with their mother,” Harry admitted running his hand down the length of her arm, tracing his finger along the palm of her hand, and lacing his fingers through hers.

Hermione smiled at him softly and an amused sigh found its way out from between her lips. “That would be lovely,” Hermione agreed. “But go love - go play with your children. You and I -”

“Can play later?” Harry offered.

“Can spend time alone together later,” Hermione clarified pushing Harry away from her playfully.

“You mean after the twins are asleep?”

“I mean after you play chess with your son like you promised him.”

“I'll hold you to that,” Harry promised pointing across the landing at her.

“I'm looking forward to it,” Hermione guaranteed him as he disappeared down the stairs. Hermione couldn't stop smiling at him as she made her way to her office. He loved being a father so much; it made Hermione want another child with him. To be pregnant again would be…interesting. Her first pregnancy hadn't exactly been easy, but she had been a teenager then and she had been alone. This time around she'd be older and would have Harry, and that would make it easier - she assumed.

Then there was labor, not one of Hermione's favorite memories. It had been rather uncomfortable, not to mention painful, though it had been very much worth it. And to have another baby in the house would be wonderful. To hear a baby laugh or even cry again would be amazing; and that little sound they made when they discovered something new was just the best noise. But Hermione was jumping way ahead of herself; she and Harry hadn't even reached that level yet.

The rest of the day passed extremely quickly. It felt to Hermione that she had barley gotten to her office when Harry called up to her to tell her he'd made dinner. Dinner went down too fast and then Hermione was back in her office. Harry and the twins went off to spend more time playing chess, which worked out well for Hermione because she needed to finish the letter she was writing to Percy.

Hermione had decided that the best way to deal with Rita was to send all the facts she had about Rita, including the marking's Rita had when she transformed, in an anonymous report, and then attach a letter addressed to Percy explaining what the report was about and ask him to make sure it got to the right people, but to leave her and Harry out of it.

“'Mione, are you still at this?” Harry asked coming to the doorway of Hermione's office. Hermione looked over at him in surprise; she thought he'd be busy with the kids for hours. “I was tucking Lily in and saw you're light was still on so I thought I'd check on you.” Looking at her watch Hermione saw it was a quarter to ten. He had been busy with the kids for hours.

“Yeah Harry, I'm still at this - I've still got some things to go over,” Hermione said turning in her chair so she could face Harry.

“Can't that wait till morning?” Harry asked stepping into her office.

“No I want this on Percy's desk first thing - it's bad enough we didn't go straight to him this afternoon.”

“The twins were scared, they wanted answers. I thought we agreed that the best thing to do was talk to them first.”

“You're right Harry and it was the best thing to do - it's just that I want this taken care of. I want that horrible woman to get what she deserves.”

“I know `Mione, I feel the same way, but of course you're being logical about it all. God I blew up in that office today,” Harry muttered more to himself than to Hermione as he settled down on the couch across the room from her.

“You told her off - she deserved it,” Hermione assured him as she lay down her quill.

“She did deserve it, didn't she?” Harry questioned with a bit of a smile on his face. “If only I'd been able to do what I really wanted to.”

“If you'd had your way there would be nothing left of her,” Hermione said smiling at him as she got out of her chair and started to walk towards him.

“Oh, there would have been enough of her left to identify.”

“Well I'm glad that you didn't do anything like that,” Hermione said brushing Harry's hair from his forehead and cupping his face with her hand. “Because when they carted you off to Azkaban, I'd be lonely.”

“I would never do anything to compromise us,” Harry said resting his hand on top of hers.

“I know and I'm extremely glad that you can control yourself.”

“I can't control myself around you,” Harry said moving his hands to Hermione's hips and pulling her closer to him. She laughed and let him pull her down onto his lap, her legs straddling his hips.

“You seem to be managing,” Hermione said playfully letting Harry bite her bottom lip.

“Barely my love, barely.”

“But you are managing and I appreciate that. I think you were right about picking the right moment for us,” Hermione informed him, keeping her sudden internal push towards renewed motherhood to herself.

“Yes. But luckily, controlling myself doesn't mean not kissing you,” Harry said as he leaned up and brought his lips to hers.

“Thank God for that,” Hermione breathed bringing her body as close to his as she could. Harry wrapped his arm around her body and felt her head rest down on his shoulder.

He turned his face towards her and found himself faced by her hair. It smelled like strawberries and vanilla. Harry smiled - it was a soft beautiful scent that fit Hermione extraordinarily well.

“So today started out a complete mess, but I think we managed to survive it,” Harry stated rubbing his hands along Hermione's spine. Hermione sighed and turned her face towards his.

“We seem to have made it through,” Hermione admitted looking up into his eyes.

“Plus, this last bit isn't too bad,” Harry said hugging her tightly for a moment.

“No, this is good. And I'm sure that playing chess with the kids was great too.”

“Yeah, even if they are better than me,” Harry laughed.

“But those people in Diagon Alley…”

“Are not our concern right now. Right now it's just you and me and getting to spend time alone together.”

“Hmm - I like that idea,” Hermione sighed happily.

“What would you say if I asked you to run away with me?” Harry asked as Hermione settled herself so that her head was up against his chest and her legs were draped over his lap.

“Just tell me when,” Hermione answered. They both laughed.

“Does next Tuesday work for you?”

“It sounds wonderful, where are we going to go?”

“I was thinking maybe Paris -” Harry started to say, but Hermione interrupted.

“Oh, Paris is wonderful this time of year.”

“Just wait - I've only begun. So we start in Paris, and no fancy hotel for us, we'll stay in this little flat I own there.”

“You have a flat in Paris?”

“Just a small one. It's a third floor walk up, with a beautiful view of the city outside its glassless windows.”

“Glassless windows in the winter!”

“Yes, but we can seal them with magic so the cold air doesn't get in.”

“And we'd have to share one small bed that is too small for two people so we have to share it and use our body heat to keep each other warm,” Hermione guessed, imagining this little flat of his.

“Something like that,” Harry answered with a wicked grin.

“That sounds terribly romantic,” Hermione admitted.

“That would be the reason I bought it.”

“So were do we go from this terribly romantic flat of yours?”

“From there I was thinking we'd rent a little house in Italy.”

“Any house in particular?” Hermione asked sighing happily.

“Just this little house I know of on the coast of the Mediterranean.”

“I've always wanted to see the Sea,” Hermione said dreamily, imagining she and Harry on a balcony; Harry standing behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder, the two of them breathing in the air of the Sea and looking out onto it's clear blue waters.

“I know `Mione,” Harry informed her with a smile. “From there we'd go to a private tropical island somewhere where we can lay out naked in the sun and just be together.”

“That all sounds wonderful, but I guess you pitch this little fantasy to every woman you want to bed?” Hermione joked.

“No - never,” Harry assured her.

“I was only joking Harry.”

“Well I'm being serious Hermione,” Harry said forcing her to look in his eyes. “I've never felt about anyone the way I feel about you. I want to see the world with you and share those experiences with you. Because you mean more to me than anyone ever has.”

“Oh Harry,” Hermione gasped, almost on the verge of tears.

“Now that is what I say to every women I want to bed,” Harry said as his face split into an evil grin. Hermione laughed.

“I thought as much - I'm on to you, Potter.”

“I just can't fool you.”

“No you can't, I've known you too long to fall for that.”

“Well I'll just have to try harder next time,” Harry said lightly, kissing Hermione's forehead.

“Yes, you will,” Hermione smiled.

“I did mean what I said `Mione,” Harry said, all hint of hummer out of his voice.

“I know you did Harry,” Hermione yawned, suddenly exhausted.

“Tired?” Harry asked, knowing it was probably a stupid question.

“Yeah, all of a sudden I am.”

“Well then,” Harry said wrapping one arm around her back, supporting her legs with the other. “I will take you to your room.”

“You hoping to be invited in?”

“I would never assume as much,” Harry assured her in a mock serious voice.

“Oh no, not you,” Hermione laughed as Harry carried her to her room. When they reached her door, Harry put her down gently and went to kiss her goodnight, but Hermione moved her head to avoid him.

“What was that?”

“I want you to come inside,” Hermione said turning the doorknob and pushing open the door to her bedroom, “and kiss me goodnight - the way I should be kissed goodnight.”

“Well, I can do that out here,” Harry offered.

“Yes but I'd rather you did it in there - just incase the kids come out of their rooms.”

“Ah,” Harry said following Hermione into her room. Hermione smiled at him as he closed her door behind them and took a step towards her. Harry wasted no more time; he tilted her head back, brought his lips down to hers, and kissed her with absolutely everything he had.

“Now that was a goodnight kiss,” Hermione breathed several minutes later, when Harry finally let her have her lips back.

“Yes it was,” Harry agreed, “well Goodnight `Mione,” Harry said stepping back towards the door.

“Stay Harry,” Hermione said grabbing his hand - stopping him from leaving. Harry looked back at her, raising one eyebrow in a questioning way.

“Stay and hold me,” Hermione clarified, not wanting to be away from him.

“I'd be glad to,” Harry smiled. Hermione smiled too as she walked to her wardrobe and pulled out her sleepwear.

“Turn around,” Hermione whispered shyly.

“You invited me in,” Harry demanded.

“Yes, but I never said anything about seeing me naked.”

Harry shook his head and laughed as he turned around. He felt like a teenager with his meek girlfriend, but if Hermione wanted him to turn around, he would.

“You can turn back around now.”

Harry heard Hermione say a couple minutes later and he turned to see her in a tight tank top and a pair of shorts. Trying not to think of anything romantic Harry stripped off his shirt and pants. Clad only in his boxers Harry followed Hermione over to her bed. He crawled in first and Hermione smiled as she crawled in next to him.

Snuggling up next to his body Hermione rested her head on his chest and sighed happily. Harry stroked her hair softly as he felt her drift off to sleep. He quickly joined her and dreamt of the day he wouldn't have to turn around.

Chapter 21 review responses: tabitoo - in this case it certainly shall diggingupophelia - hehehe that would be pretty funny, just have someone smash her under their boot - but no she'll get what is coming to her in a different way, I promise spaz141 - actually I greatly dislike coffee, can't stand the stuff - but it's a caffeine thing for them, that's why they only drink it first thing in the morning (or when they wake up) and I know that tea has caffeine in it as well, but it's more of a symbol of their need for caffeine than anything else Lajo1013 - nope the kids are safe at number 12, though those are some interesting ideas. You will definitely be seeing more of the other characters in the chapters to come - though fyi Draco doesn't come in until chapter 28 so there is still a bit of a wait for him. Ran and Luna's boys are named Harry, Jason, and Oliver Alorkin - oh it's alright, I won't hold it against you most people feel the same way - you'll see more in a chapter or two, but you must be patient. Austenlover - no Seamus will do it right - no worries Chancellor - well no, no hate mail because no one has an address for her, since number 12 is so well hidden, but there will be some trouble in the next chapter - poor Hermione : ( - Harry will just have to comfort her and keep her safe ; ) lylac14 - : ) DreamAngel - thanks for that positive attitude, though sorry you had to wait so long Tomlove01 - well no they'll be pretty safe - now that the attention is turned towards their mother Jenna Kathleen - yeah, yeah, yeah - well now you get to wait for chapter 23 like the rest of them :P Jillian84 - oh you're not dense you just didn't know what was going to happen next - part of the magic of being the reader not the author :D HHRLVR - don't worry she wont forget, I would never let that happen - I want her to get what she deserves just as much as everyone else does Coolone007 - : ) div - you mean the house in the woods? - yeah in good time and no worries Rita gets what she deserves real quick like Misadies1 - thanks I had a really good time - sorry it took so long to update Kalina Malia - I loathe her too JENMOR - : ) Sprkibabe14 - : ) ginnymalfoy21 - no don't worry I can tell you like the story - you've put a lot of thought into your reviews. As for the description thing, well I have reviews telling me to put more and some telling me to put less so I just decided to stay at my happy medium, if I can't make everyone happy, might as well just do it as it comes naturally. : ) - I enjoy writing the minor characters into the story so I'm glad to see that you are enjoying reading about them and the futures I've envisioned for them. Harrynmione - : ) MichelleRadcliffe - oh my word - you read this entire story in one night, now that is what I call dedication, lol, did you manage to get up on time? - I hope this chapter lives up to your standards. PJ - no, no, no - she just did some clever math and figured out the likely time period for their conception and took a lucky chance - hehehe lets just walk her off the astronomy tower and see what she looks like paochi_cute - : ) sam - : ) Mani12191 - if you look at PJ's review response I explained how she knew that - as for how many chapters, right now the outline is at 35, but it could go back down to 34 or up to 36, but it'll be somewhere in there. williamlawrence - : ) thanks I will carry on until finished I promise sannihun - : ) JayaMioneDurron - well at least you wrote something : )

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23. Public Scrutiny

AN: I’m so sorry it’s been over a month (again), it took me a while to write and then one of my betas was rather busy (I don’t blame her, we all have times when we are busy I’m just explaining) so it took a while to get back to me. But it’s here now and the really good news is that chapter 24 is already with her so it should be out soon. Sorry again and on with the chapter.

Public Scrutiny

Hermione awoke, the Saturday after the articles had been published, much the same way she had for the past five days; with Harry’s scent still lingering next to her. She smiled rolling over so that she was on the side of the bed he had been sleeping on just minutes ago. She nestled her face into the pillow he’d been using, it smelt like him. She was just drifting off into a fantasy, when she heard her door open softly.

“Go away!” Hermione yelled, though the pillow muffled it.

“Get up ‘Mione – time for breakfast.” It was Harry and he was too cheery for eight o’clock in the morning.

“No, I was enjoying myself – thinking about you,” Hermione informed him as she rolled over. Harry looked wonderful dressed in jeans and a tight sweater, his hair as wild as ever, and his eyes a wonderful shade of green.

“Ah well then maybe I should have stuck around this morning,” Harry teased leaning over the bed and kissing her gently.

“I hate that you leave,” Hermione declared. They had been sharing Hermione’s bed since Sunday night, sleeping next to each other. But in the morning, Harry would force himself to get up and go back to his own room, because the twins still didn’t know that they were dating.

“I hate that I have to leave too, but you know, we could always tell the twins,” Harry suggested innocently, knowing full well Hermione would reject that idea the instant she heard it.

“No Harry, we can’t yet. Last weekend was big enough for them – we don’t need to be putting more onto them.”

“I know,” Harry said exhaustedly getting onto the bed and crawling towards her; he'd already had this conversation with Hermione four times. “But might I remind you that you were the one complaining about me leaving? If we told them, then we wouldn’t have to hide anything; I wouldn’t have to get up at seven in the morning, something you know I hate doing, and you wouldn’t have to miss me in the morning.”

“Maybe asking you to stay wasn’t such a good idea.”

“Oh no – don’t you dare say that. I’ve slept better than I have in years, with you by my side, I won’t have you regretting that.”

“I’m not regretting, just rethinking.”

“You’ve said that every morning this week, and every night you’ve invited me to stay.”

“Well, it takes me a long time to rethink things.”

“Oh I’m sure it does,” Harry mocked. “But rethink later because it’s time to get up and have breakfast and take the kids to the park like you promised.”

“Oh that’s right – I did promise them that, didn’t I?” Hermione remembered rubbing the sides of her face as she sat up.

“Yes you did, and they’ve been excited about it since Wednesday,” Harry reminded her, getting off her bed.

“Well, I’ll be down in about twenty minutes.”

“Breakfast will be waiting for you,” Harry informed her with a wink as he stepped across the room and walked out the door. Hermione smiled after him and finally crawled out of bed.

No matter what she said, she wasn’t really rethinking inviting Harry in, well… not seriously rethinking it anyway. She loved having Harry next to her, she felt safe with his strong arm around her and now she was a little afraid that she wouldn’t be able to sleep with him gone.

Hermione emerged from her room half an hour later dressed in a flattering winter skirt and a sweater. She hurried down the stairs and found her little family in the kitchen laughing like lunatics.

“What’s so funny?” Hermione asked, standing next to Harry and rubbing his back softly.

“Nothing,” the three of them said in unison. Hermione glared across the table at the twins, not trusting them at all, and they just laughed harder.

“Harry what evil stories have you been telling them?”

“I’ve told them nothing,” Harry insisted innocently.

“Did you really grow a tail Mum?” James asked through fits of laughter. Hermione groaned as realization washed over her. Harry had told them about the nasty incident with Polyjuice Potion during their second year, which had caused Hermione to grow fur and a tail. She didn’t like being reminded of that blunder, which had been entirely her own.

“Yes, but it all cleared up and we don’t need to talk about it anymore,” Hermione insisted, sitting down next to Harry. Trying to look innocent, Harry offered her the plate he had prepared for her. Hermione glared at him, Harry put on a pouting face and mouthed ‘sorry’ and she chuckled at that silently, but was still mad at him.

“Why don’t you to go get ready for the park while your Mum eats?” Harry suggested winking at them – letting them off the hook he had created for himself. Lily and James nodded quickly and hurried out of the room.

“Oh don’t worry, I wasn’t upset at them.”

“Well, I can never be sure with you and your glares of death.”

“I do not have glares of death.”

“Yes, you do.”

“If I do, you deserve them. Why would you tell them about that?”

“Oh come on ‘Mione – that was a lifetime ago, I thought you weren’t bothered by it anymore.” Harry said softly wrapping his arm around her waist.

“It doesn’t feel that long ago,” Hermione muttered half-heartedly trying to push Harry away; she was mad at him, but she still liked the feeling of his arm, “besides, just because it happened a long time ago doesn’t mean you have to tell people about it.”

“I was only trying to kill time,” Harry insisted kissing Hermione in a particularly sensitive spot on the side of her neck.

“You think you are just going to kiss your way out of this?” Hermione asked as a slight moan escaped her lips.

“I plan on trying to,” Harry muttered innocently trailing kisses up her neck and across her face to her lips.

“As much as I---” Hermione started to say but she stopped as a moan overtook her. Harry had somehow learned her weak spots and was putting his lips to all of them… well, all the ones on her neck anyway.

“Yes,” Harry purred taking his lips away from Hermione.

“As much as I would love for you to keep this up,” Hermione assured him bringing his fingers to her lips and kissing them sensually. “I would remind you that it was you who forced me out of bed so that I could take our children to the park.”

Harry grumbled in protest.

“It was your idea,” Hermione reminded him.

“No – I was wrong you don’t have to go to the park with the kids. You and I can just crawl back into your bed, or mine – it’s bigger.”

“Harry, I promised them I’d take them to the park and I think they deserve to get out of the house after what happened last weekend. They need to run around – they need to be kids.” Harry pouted again and Hermione laughed pityingly at him.

“Fine, be a good mother, keep your promises to your children, see if I care.” Harry muttered turning away from her as his mouth curved into a smile. Hermione smiled back at him as she turned back to her breakfast.

“The food was wonderful,” Hermione said as she finished eating. She kissed Harry softly on the cheek as she stood and took her plate to the sink. “Thanks for cooking.”

“It’s not a problem, I enjoy cooking – especially for my family.”

“All right. Well, I should probably go get my coat and get the kids. You sure you don’t want to come along.”

“No, you haven’t had much time alone with them since you came back to England –”

“Oh, I don’t mind that,” Hermione lied. She certainly didn’t begrudge Harry the time he was spending with his kids, but she did miss having time with them, just the three of them. “You needed time with them.”

“Yes I did, and I still do, but you do to,” Harry said sweetly, though Hermione thought he looked rather sad about it.

Forming an idea in her mind, Hermione smiled at Harry and left the kitchen. She walked quickly up to the hallway and grabbed the shawl she was planning to wear and Harry’s coat and went up to find the twins. They were standing on the second-floor landing, whispering about something.

“What are you two whispering about?” Hermione asked suspiciously.

“Nothing,” Lily and James insisted together.

“I’m sure – so are you two ready to go to the park?”

“Yes,” they answered, again at the same instant.

“I know I promised you that the three of us would go to the park together, but I was thinking – should we invite your father? It’s just that when I was saying goodbye to him, he seemed really sad that we’d be leaving him for the day.”

“Of course we can invite him along,” Lily insisted and James nodded his head enthusiastically.

“Thanks. And I promise we’ll go back to the park, just the three of us some other time.”

“All right.”

“I leave you two to your whispering while I go get your father,” Hermione told them as she began descending the stairs. Once she was three steps down, Hermione heard them whispering again; she laughed to herself and kept walking.

When she got back to the kitchen Hermione found Harry exactly where she’d left him; looking a bit sad and lonely.

“Well come on then,” Hermione commanded throwing Harry’s coat to him. Harry looked over at her in surprise.

“What about your time with the twins?” Harry asked trying hard to suppress the look of happiness that was spreading quickly across his face. He didn’t want to get his hopes up just yet.

“So I’ll have it with you too because I decided,” Hermione explained as Harry stood up to pull on his coat, “that I would miss you too much if I was away for that long.”

“What about everything that’s happened?” Harry questioned taking her hand and looking seriously into her eyes. “Do you really think it’s safe for both of us to go out with them?”

“It’s a muggle park, Harry – there shouldn’t be many Witches or Wizards there if any at all. I think we’ll be fine.”

“If you’re sure…” Harry began skeptically.

“I’m sure,” Hermione assured him kissing him softly on the cheek. Harry squeezed her hand lovingly as they left the kitchen and headed up the stairs. Waiting for them in the hallway were James and Lily who both looked anxious and excited.

“Hurry Mum, we want to go,” Lily said tapping her foot impatiently. Harry thought she looked amazingly like her mother doing that, but he knew if he pointed that out to Hermione, he would be smacked.

“Patience is a virtue my dear,” Hermione said sweetly pushing the twins along in front of her. “Besides, it was your father who was wasting time.”

“Don’t go blaming me – you’re the one who insisted I go along.” Harry whispered in her ear as they reached the door.

“Oh and I’m so glad I did,” Hermione whispered back sarcastically. Harry squeezed her hand lightly and they both laughed.

“By the way, do you have your wand?” Hermione asked as they stepped out into the square.

“Yeah it’s in my pocket,” Harry whispered pulling the handle out a little so she could see it.

“Good.”

“Hey you two – don’t go running off ahead or we’ll go back inside right now and forget about this whole park thing!” Harry called after the twins who had, well, run ahead.

“Sorry Dad,” James called back slowing down. Lily fell in pace beside her brother and waited for their parents to catch up.

“Spoken like a true father,” Hermione whispered proudly and Harry beamed at her.

“He’s beginning to sound like her, have you noticed that?” James was asking Lily as Harry and Hermione came up behind them.

“And what is so wrong with sounding like your mother?” Harry asked playfully ruffling James’ hair.

“Nothing,” James explained, “it would just be nice if we didn’t have parents who thought exactly the same way.” Hermione and Harry chuckled.

“We don’t think the same way,” Hermione said still laughing.

“Yes you do, you’re always saying the same things to us.”

“That’s because we are parents,” Harry explained. “We have to say the same things to keep you two in line.”

“In the same line,” Hermione muttered and Harry laughed.

“Yeah that’s an important bit,” Harry muttered back.

“Well come on then, we’re all here – lets go to the park,” James insisted, looking excitedly at his parents.

“What, did you eat sugar for breakfast this morning? I mean where is all this extra energy coming from?”

“We’re just excited is all,” Lily explained. “We’ve been inside for a week.”

“You’ve been inside for longer”

“Yeah, but this isn’t the same; there’s nothing to look at here. You look out a window here and you’re most likely looking into someone else’s window or just other buildings, it’s very boring.”

“It can get quite dull I suppose,” Harry reasoned. “But this place is practically a paradise compared to the place I grew up, so I never really thought about it.”

“Well, we could change that – we could move to Dad’s house.”

“I don’t know if that would be a good idea,” Hermione said logically, “at least not right now.”

“Why not?”

“Isn’t that where you were when the people from the paper got a picture of the three of you?” Hermione asked.

“Yeah it was,” Harry answered sadly seeing where Hermione was going with this.

“What does that matter?” James asked. “The worst has already happened.”

“I don’t really know what would happen,” Hermione answered simply. “But I think avoiding that place for a while at least is a good idea.”

“Maybe we can talk about moving there in the New Year, when things have settled down a bit.” Harry suggested, looking at Hermione.

“That sounds like a plan,” Hermione agreed with a wide smile, “a very good plan.” Harry and Hermione shared a loving look that the twins missed and continued down the road.

“Is it much further?” James asked fifteen minutes later as they rounded the last corner.

“Not at all,” Hermione answered pointing down the street to the park, which James had obviously missed. “And yes, you can run ahead now.” Hermione added seeing the excitement on their faces.

Their lives had been very subdued over the past week, though they had, by choice, stayed inside for longer then a week before they’d never been forced to. As a result they’d been in very bad spirits.

“That was awfully nice of you,” Harry muttered to Hermione as they walked through the gate of the park, the twins already running along the path, laughing madly at something.

“I figured, since we were just down the street and they’ve been wanting to run for ages, I might as well let them.”

“That makes sense,” Harry said bringing her hand up and kissing it softly. Hermione smiled at him, kissed his cheek softly and let go of his hand.

“Go on then. I know you want to go play with them,” Hermione said reluctantly. She wanted him to stay with her, but if he wanted to horse around with his children she certainly wasn’t going to stop him.

“No,” Harry said sliding his hand back into hers. “Let them play, they haven’t been outside in a while. The last thing they need is their tired old dad trying to keep up.”

“Oh come on Harry, you are not old or tired and you could keep up with them even on your worst day.”

“I don’t know about that,” Harry responded with a sigh, leading Hermione to a bench on the grassy area where the twins were playing.

“Don’t tell me you’re falling apart of something.”

“No of course not – well not exactly. But my shoulders are sore most days and my back as well,” Harry said with another large sigh as they sat down.

“Well, maybe I could help you with some of those aches and pains,” Hermione said rubbing her hand up and down his back.

“Oh really,” Harry said turning his face to her and raising an eyebrow at her. “And what exactly do you have in mind?”

“Maybe tonight,” Hermione whispered in his ear, “you could lie down and I could give you a nice, long, relaxing massage.”

“That sounds nice,” Harry admitted closing his eyes and imagining how wonderful that would feel. “Say, you don’t think the kids would mind heading back home early – like now?”

“Oh no, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.” Hermione laughed. “In fact why don’t you go ask them?”

“No, I’ll stay here with you a bit longer,” Harry said leaning back on the bench; he wrapped his arm around Hermione and pulled her close. She sighed happily, resting her head on his chest.

They sat that way, in silence, simply watching the twins, who were playing some game of their own creation. Harry was lazily running his fingers through Hermione’s hair; Hermione tracing soft circles in the fabric of Harry’s sweater.

“We lucked out with those two, we really did,” Harry said after a while. He was looking lovingly at the twins. “It really is amazing. That we could create something so magical.”

Hermione laughed; as a Witch and Wizard they created magical things all the time, “I know what you mean. It’s amazing that something so…primitive could create a human being, two at that.”

“Do you ever think of having more children?” Harry asked looking her in the eyes.

“I didn’t, until I came back here,” Hermione answered matching his stare.

“You want to have more children with me?”

“I’ve thought about it.”

“And you think you might like to?” Harry asked, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

“I’d love to, when the time is right.”

Harry smiled down at Hermione and kissed the top of her head. “I love you ‘Mione. I truly love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Are you two just going to sit there all day?” James asked coming to a halt ten feet in front of them.

Hermione looked to Harry, he was smiling mischievously. “Go on then,” she whispered.

“You sure,” Harry mouthed back. Hermione nodded. Harry squeezed her shoulder lightly as he sat her back up and rose from the bench.

“Are you implying something young man?” Harry asked sternly, but James wasn’t fooled.

“Well, you have just been sitting there this whole time.” And they were off; James sprinting away over the grass and Harry right behind him. Hermione laughed, Harry could be such a boy at times.

“Excuse me,” a voice said behind Hermione. She turned to see if the voice was speaking to her and indeed there was a man standing behind the bench where she was sitting, looking at her expectantly. If she had to guess she would say he was about ten years older then her. He was tall, very tall, and wore his long brown hair tied back.

“Yes, can I help you?” Hermione responded politely, trying to keep one eye on Harry and the twins.

“Are you Hermione Granger?” The man asked stepping a bit closer then Hermione would have liked.

“Yes I am,” Hermione responded tensely, knowing that a complete stranger knowing her name couldn’t be good.

“I noticed you sitting with that man, Harry Potter,” the man said getting even closer, “and I wanted to say – that I despise what you did to him. He saved us and you broke his heart like that. It’s horrible. You don’t deserve to spend time around him. You should just hand custody of the twins over to him and get out of his life.”

“Um,” Hermione stammered, not sure how to defend herself against things she had, at one time, thought about herself. But before she could find the right words a woman came up beside the man.

“It is her, isn’t it?” The women asked sounding very sour.

“Yeah it is,” the man answered.

“You should be ashamed of yourself, how do you even live with yourself knowing what you did.”

“Well, I have his understanding and I guess that’s all I can hope for,” Hermione responded timidly, shrinking away from these complete strangers who had passed judgment on her without even knowing her.

Hermione was going to say something more, but just then she heard familiar laughter coming towards her. Harry and the twins were coming back towards the bench laughing and winded.

“What’s going on here?” Harry asked Hermione, looking suspicious at the man and woman.

Hermione was about to answer Harry when the man spoke up. “It’s an honor to meet you. I never even dreamed you would be in a muggle park – what a place to meet a hero.” The man said holding out his hand to Harry, but Harry didn’t take it.

“What were you saying to Hermione?” Harry demanded holding his arms out to stop the twins from going anywhere near the man or woman.

“Nothing Harry, they were just asking me if it was actually you. That’s all.” Hermione said softly, but Harry wasn’t buying it.

“Were you harassing her?” Harry asked looking at the man suspiciously, still refusing to take his hand.

“We were only telling her the truth,” the woman insisted.

“Oh, is that so? And what truth would that be?” Harry asked forgetting that the twins were just behind him.

“Harry don’t make this into a big deal – lets just go, do you think that would be possible?”

“No, I want to know – what did he say to you, what truth did you tell her?” Harry asked again.

This time the woman answered. “That she should be ashamed of herself for what she did to you. And that she doesn’t deserve you. Because she doesn’t.”

“You couldn’t be further from the truth,” Harry snarled at them causing the man to back off a bit. “Hermione is the smartest, most giving woman I have ever known and she would never ever do anything to intentionally hurt me.”

“Harry, you don’t have to defend me to them.”

“No ‘Mione – I want to say this. No one has been harder on her about what she did then she’s been on herself. If you read the article then you would know that she regrets keeping them from me.”

“But Harry, you can have any woman you want, why would you pick the one that treated you like rubbish?” The woman asked incredulously

“Because she didn’t treat me like rubbish! And she doesn’t treat me like a hero, she treats me like a human being. And she is the one I want; she’s the one I’ve wanted for the past ten years.” Harry snapped causing the man to back off even further.

“And she’s a brilliant Mum as well!” James insisted ducking under Harry’s arm.

“Yeah and she raised us better then anyone else could!” Lily exclaimed ducking under Harry’s arm as well and standing next to James.

“James – Lily, don’t get involved,” Hermione said quietly.

“Why not – they are saying horrible things about you Mum, you don’t deserve that.” James told her, not understanding why his mother wasn’t defending herself.

“Come on Mum, you always tell us not to let other people treat us like this,” Lily demanded. “You can’t just let them talk about you like that.”

“Well, Lily, I can’t change their opinion of me because they’ve already decided what they believe.”

“You could at least defend yourself,” Lily insisted.

“She knows she's wrong, little girl, that’s why she doesn’t defend herself,” the woman said simply. Lily glared at her viciously, but Hermione dropped her head shamefully. The woman’s words had struck true to Hermione. Sometimes she didn’t think she deserved Harry or his love and these two were bringing her doubts up.

“Come on,” Harry said forcefully walking over to Hermione, taking her hand and pulling her up. “If these people are going to harass us, we’ll leave.”

Hermione stood up, a bit feebly, and let Harry lead her away. Lily quickly grabbed hold of Hermione’s free hand and James grabbed hold of Harry’s. Harry was grumbling under his breath as he hurried his family through the park.

“I can’t believe you, Hermione,” Harry muttered shaking his head. “You haven’t let people treat you like that since, well since we were teenagers. You were just cowering there – letting those complete strangers treat you like you’re not good enough.”

“Harry, can we not do this here,” Hermione responded quietly looking at Harry meaningfully. She didn’t want the twins involved.

“Fine,” Harry muttered, “fine – we’ll talk about it at home.”

It took them no time at all to get home; mostly because Harry was practically running them along. He was so furious that he couldn’t help himself. He was furious at Hermione for not defending herself and because she didn’t even try.

When they reached number twelve Harry pulled out his wand and the door nearly flew open. Ushering them quickly inside Harry closed the door with a snap and walked down to the kitchen in quite a huff.

“Go on upstairs, you two – I’m going to go talk to your father,” Hermione said sweetly taking Lily and James’ coats; trying to act like nothing was wrong.

“But what happened back there?” Lily asked.

“Why didn’t you stand up to those people?” questioned James.

“Because,” Hermione sighed desperately. She didn’t want to tell her children that she believed those strangers; that their hurtful words had made her weak and defenseless.

“Because why?” James and Lily asked together.

“Because…I have always tried to be honest with the two of you, but there are some things that you don’t need to know and wouldn’t understand even if you did. This is one of those things.”

“But --” Lily started to say, but Hermione held up her hand to stop her

“But nothing. Just know that I’ll be fine and there is nothing for you to worry about. Now go on, get upstairs, both of you,” Hermione insisted turning them towards the stairs. James and Lily walked up the stairs reluctantly, dragging their feet behind them.

Hermione sighed again as she turned and headed to the kitchen. She felt like it was the day of the World Cup again and she was heading into a conversation she knew wouldn’t end well. Reaching the kitchen door and pushing it open, she found Harry in the same place she had found him that night; sitting and facing the door.

“I just don’t understand you ‘Mione. You were always for not letting people walk all over you, but you were just sitting there – not even bothering to tell them to get stuffed.”

“I just couldn’t,” Hermione said looking down at the floor.

“Why not!” Harry demanded, jumping up from his seat.

“Harry, they’re right,” Hermione said dissolving into tears. “I don’t deserve you. I don’t deserve you or the twins. I don’t deserve your forgiveness or your love.”

Harry was so shocked by Hermione’s doubts that he didn’t know what to do. He just watched as her face fell into her hands and she started crying even harder. Shaking himself out of his shocked state, Harry marched across the room and wrapped his arms around her.

“No, ‘Mione no – they aren’t right. I love you and I wouldn’t know what to do without you.”

“But I hurt you. I took you children away and you didn’t get to know them –”

“What is it going to take for you to understand that I’ve forgiven you for that? How many times am I go to have to tell you that before you to believe me.”

“You’ve never said you forgive me,” Hermione whimpered looking desperately at him. “You said it would take time to forgive me, but you never said you had.”

“Oh God ‘Mione. Of course I’ve forgiven you,” Harry said wiping the tears off her cheeks. “You’ve done everything you can to make it up to me, and I know you regret what you did.”

“I was being stupid, wasn’t I?” Hermione asked with a slight laugh.

“Well, kind of, but if you doubted how I felt ‘Mione, you should have talked to me about it.”

“I guess I just brushed it off as normal doubts,” Hermione admitted. "But when I heard other people saying those things, I was afraid they were right.”

“Promise me something. Promise me that if you ever have doubts you’ll bring them to me.”

“I promise, Harry. If I have anymore doubts, I’ll talk to you about them.”

“Good,” Harry said kissing her cheek softly.

“I guess I was wrong about that muggle park being safe theory,” Hermione said resting her head on Harry chest.

“Well, maybe it was just too soon,” Harry offered, stroking her hair softly.

“Maybe,” Hermione agreed. "It's so wrong that our lives have to stay on hold until public opinion has come back into our favor.”

“Well, to hell with that,” Harry said forcefully.

“What can we do about it?” Hermione asked leaning her head back and looking at him.

“We can’t care,” Harry insisted. “Let’s make a deal we won’t listen to what they say and we won’t let them run our lives.”

“We just ignore them?”

“Exactly. If we don’t ignore them, they’ll have the power to control our lives, and if we do ignore them, they’ll lose interest.”

“It sounds like the perfect plan,” Hermione said with a smile.

“Right, we’re agreed. No more listening to complete strangers who know nothing about us.”

“Agreed,” Hermione said seriously. Harry smiled at her and they both laughed a little. Hermione looked at him lovingly and ran her hand through his hair. Sighing at how stupid she had been, Hermione returned her head to his chest. She really was lucky to have him and his love.

AN: I know Hermione is kind of weak in the park, but haven’t you ever doubted something you did and then heard other people criticize you for the same thing? I have and I’ve got to tell you it brings your self-confidence down to zero, so that’s what happened to Hermione, but no worries after Harry’s reassurance she’s all better.

ginnymalfoy21 – I got that (that you are a sucker for D/G) I don’t know maybe because of your name – well anyway we are fast (in terms of the story anyway not the rate the chapters are being released) approaching them coming together, well coming back together, well you’ll see when we get there Chancellor – Percy doesn’t actually have the power to punish Rita, but he will get the evidence to the right people (though we don’t talk about that until next time). No the twins don’t find them in bed just yet Hdawne – Yes you did mention you loved it and I’m glad you loved it. Sorry for making Hermione kind of weak in this chapter (since I know you like her strong willed) but she’ll be strong again in no time diggingupophelia – yes your review fed my muse, but she still refused to help me, she can be an awfully stubborn one when she wants to be :D but thanks for calling the chapter brilliant fenriswolf – thanks HHRLVR – yes it would be a good time however in this story it would be a little late, but you’ll understand that when we get there tabitoo – no I could never for get this story it just sometimes takes long to write the chapters and the really getting together is coming quite soon spaz141 – you’re welcome Lajo1013 – thanks you don’t have to wait to much longer for Draco chapters wise (he makes his grand entrance in chapter 27) I have no idea how much time it will take me to write to that point, but hopefully it wont take to long Larissa - : ) BartyD - : ) Div – thanks I appreciate that Muddratt - : ) paochi cute – of course it wont be happening anytime soon that would just be to simple :D anywho Rita will get what she deserves trust me Sprklnbabe14 - : ) MichelleRadcliffe – you I hade one of those detentions once for swearing at my catholic middle school, they aren’t to bad. Well I hope you like this chapter as well Muirnin – well originally I was going to have all this happen then but it didn’t fit the story well, (actually it kinda killed the story), but what I decided is people did talk when they saw Harry with the kids in Diagon Alley but there was no proof so it was just talk. Yeah the twins writing an article is an interesting idea, but they don’t “know” what’s going on with their parents yet so that wont really work, but maybe in the future…*considers idea*…maybe…I hope you do start getting your alerts again Mani12191 - : ) HnH4EvA19 - : ) Gorgena - : ) Mochie - : ) laila - : ) DreamAngel - : ) Luna Tyler – thanks, especially for reviewing twice :D and yes I try to slip canon characters whenever possible (hence reporter Seamus) harryhermione731 – I know I am and that’s part of what makes this interesting frecklegirl87 - : ) 1poshgurl2 - : ) scorpio-1983 - : ) Austenlover – ah but innocent cuddling leads to more – eventually shellbell18 – I don’t know if I’m going to write about when they are at Hogwarts, but maybe hrhermione - : ) funky faerie87 - : ) Tomlove01 - : ) Misadies1 – it take a while for me to write sometimes, I can become easily distracted by other stories I’m writing bookxluver - : ) tootles - : ) PJ - : ) sailor girl – actually the idea of Draco as a painter started in this story and spawned The Painting, but like you said it’s so uncharacteristic of him that it fits : ) greenevans – thanks for the heads up and the offer, but I’m already getting help with that from one of my betas so it’s improving over time sannihun – sorry, but I can grantee that it wont take my beta a month to get chapter 24 back to me so I should be updating sooner next time eRiN GRyFFiN - : ) thanks for not being too lazy this time, but don’t worry I understand my beat yells at me because I’m to lazy sometimes too ;)

P.S. Thanks again you guys and to both my betas I really appreciate your help. Oh and just a little aside to all of you who read my story The Painting, if you really like it you can vote for it, it’s up for a portkey readers choice award in the category of Best Short Fic (Fluff, Non-H/Hr) ; ) – you don’t have to vote of course I’m just saying you could if you wanted to

24. Truth

AN: I'm so sorry again that this has taken so long to upload, things come up you know? Well, the good news again is that the next chapter is finished and with my beta so hopefully *crosses fingers* it will be back to me soon. Anywho, on with the chapter…

Truth

Humming tunelessly to herself, Hermione stood in front of her wardrobe, wearing only her white underwear, trying to decide what to put on. The day of the party for Ron and Luna's sons had arrived and they were making good time. The twins were ready and reading in the drawing room, and as far as Hermione knew, Harry was dressed. Now she was the only hold up, but she just couldn't decide what she wanted to wear.

It was funny, Hermione never worried about what to wear until she started being around Harry again; now she thought about it all the time. She worried about looking nice and if Harry would be attracted to her in it. Life was much simpler when one wasn't in love; well, getting dressed was anyway.

She finally decided on a gray skirt and a white fitted shirt. Dressing quickly, Hermione walked over to her mirror doing those final little things. She put her hair up, leaving soft tendrils hanging at the back of her neck and around her face. She put on her earrings; small silver hoops her parents had given her for becoming Head Girl; and garnet studs she had bought for herself after the twins were born, it being their birthstone and all. Finally Hermione began applying what little makeup she planned on wearing.

“You look amazing,” Harry sighed from Hermione's doorway. She smiled over her shoulder at him before turning back to the mirror and applying her lipstick.

“You look very handsome as well,” Hermione said turning back to him and scanning him from head to toe. He was wearing black pants and a beautiful green shirt that made his eyes sparkle even more than usual.

“Well, I just came in to check on you, since we need to be going pretty soon.”

“I'm almost ready,” Hermione assured him, turning back to the mirror again.

“I see that,” Harry said walking across the room. He came to a stop behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Hermione moaned happily and leaned her body back into him. She traced her hands along his arms and wove their fingers together. Harry began kissing the back of Hermione's neck softly. Hermione moaned happily again, letting herself get lost in his kissing.

“If we don't stop this, we'll be late,” Hermione informed Harry, though she made no effort to stop him.

Harry wrapped his arms around her waist tighter, pulling her body further into his, and continued to kiss her. Letting one hand travel up to her chin, Harry turned her head to the side and started kissing her cheek - moving slowly towards her lips.

“Please, Harry stop - I don't want to miss the party, I've been looking forward to it all week.”

“You really want me to stop?” Harry asked staring over her shoulder to look in the mirror, locking eyes with her reflection.

“No, but we have to. Ron will want us to be there,” Hermione admitted turning her face back to the mirror to meet his gaze. “Besides, after last weekend it will be nice to be surrounded by people I know care for me.”

“You're surrounded by someone who cares for you right now.”

“I know, Harry,” Hermione whispered weakly as his arms tightened around her waist once again.

“And one isn't good enough for you?” Harry teased.

“One is more then enough - especially when it's you; but we agreed, and when we're about to go to a party definitely isn't the right time.”

“I know, `Mione, but seeing you just turns me on so,” Harry purred in Hermione ear burying his face into her neck once more.

“Soon, love. Ever so soon,” Hermione promised turning around in his arms.

Harry smiled at her and kissed the top of her head softly. “I know,” he said nodding.

“And I would remind you,” Hermione began as she pulled out of his arms. Walking to her wardrobe, she took out a pair of incredibly sexy boots to wear. “It was your -”

“Don't ever say that, Hermione,” Harry groaned watching her slip her wonderfully toned legs into the boots. “I know it was my idea, but I thought it was a good one at the time."

“I, for one, still think it is a wonderful idea. Harry, I'm not going anywhere and once you have me - I'm yours.” Hermione told him as she straightened herself out and walked back towards him.

“You promise?” Harry asked weakly, studying the way the boots made her body move as she walked.

“Harry - I've no intention of ever being away from you again. I don't know if I could be away from you, even if my life depended on it. So don't worry - we have forever.”

“Just promise me one more thing?” Harry asked leaning down and touching his forehead to hers.

“Anything,” Hermione told him, moving her head further back, her lips coming closer to his.

“Promise me you'll wear the boots,” Harry requested simply. Hermione pulled her head back sharply and looked at Harry. He was looking seriously at her, a wicked grin on his face. Hermione couldn't stop herself from laughing and hitting his chest playfully.

“You absolute horn-dog,” she proclaimed, shaking her head and continuing to laugh.

“Horn-dog?” Harry questioned.

“It's an American saying - it means all you think about is sex,” Hermione explained, walking to the door.

“I don't think only about sex - but I can't help it if you're incredibly sexy, especially in those boots,” Harry informed her. Hermione stopped at the door and looked over her shoulder to him raising her eyebrow questioningly. “What? - You are.”

Hermione smiled at him, returning his wicked grin, and walked into the hallway. Harry was sure she was swinging her hips that way intentionally, but he wasn't about to complain as he followed behind her.

“Lily, James - time to get going!” Hermione called as she and Harry started down the stairs.

“Coming,” James and Lily called back. Harry could hear them moving quickly out of the drawing room and hurrying down to the front hall.

“They certainly are excited about the party,” Hermione commented as they reached the first floor landing.

“Well, can you blame them - they've been stuck around with just the two of us for the past two weeks.”

“I happen to think we are fascinating,” Hermione insisted.

“Oh sure - their parents are just the most interesting people in the world to them.”

“I guess that's true,” Hermione admitted as they came to the bottom of the stairs. She knew that her children would always love her and Harry, but they were also growing away.

Soon enough they would be going to Hogwarts, making friends, and becoming young adults. They wouldn't depend on Harry or Hermione anymore, they most likely wouldn't come running to her when they had problems anymore, but then wasn't that what she wanted? Wasn't the whole point of being a parent raising children who would grow to be responsible adults? Well that might be true, but it didn't stop Hermione from wanting them to be small again; at that age where they depended on her.

Hermione continued to stay lost in her longing thoughts as they pilled into the car and made the twenty-minute drive to The Burrow. In fact she didn't even realize they had stopped until she felt Harry's hands cover hers.

“You've been so quiet,” Harry said softly.

“I've just been thinking,” Hermione admitted looking to the back seat, but the children weren't there.

“I sent them ahead so I could make sure you were all right. You are all right aren't you?”

“Yes, Harry I'm fine. I've just been lost in thought.”

“Oh, something new for you,” Harry teased causing Hermione to smile ever so slightly. “Hey cheer up,” Harry demanded taking hold of her chin and making her look at him.

“I'm just worried that I won't be needed anymore. What am I to do when that happens?”

“'Mione, I'll never stop needing you,” Harry assured her kissing her hand softly.

“You promise?” Hermione asked meekly slightly ashamed that she was asking him for reassurance again and not just accepting what he was saying to her.

“I swear,” Harry said softly. Hermione couldn't stop herself from smiling brightly at him. “I love it when you smile,” he told her surveying her face lovingly which caused Hermione's smile to widen.

“I'm glad you're around to make me smile.”

“I always will be `Mione,” Harry told her squeezing her hand lovingly. She leaned across the car and kissed him softly on the lips. “And as long as you are around to do that, I'll always smile.”

“I'll do my best,” Hermione said blushing.

“I think we'd best go in now,” Harry said after a long pause.

“Yeah probably - I don't think we are allowed to spend the entire party in the car. Luna and Ron would probably kill us.”

“That's true. Come on, lets get going,” Harry said opening the car door and stepping out. He managed to jet around the car just as Hermione was opening her door. Smiling sweetly, he offered her his hand and she took it, stepping out of the car gracefully.

“You know I can manage to get out of a car without your help,” Hermione informed him, though she didn't sound put out.

“I don't remember saying you couldn't,” Harry responded. “I just prefer to be a gentleman whether you ask it of me or not.”

“You really are wonderful,” Hermione whispered kissing his cheek softly.

“Thank you. I do try, and apparently I've been successful,” Harry admitted smiling at her.

“You've been very successful, I assure you.”

“Successful enough?” Harry asked raising one eyebrow jokingly.

“Harry!” Hermione accused smacking his arm, knowing exactly what he was asking.

“I was only teasing Hermione,” Harry said opening the door to the Burrow. No one was in the front room so Hermione stole one last kiss before stepping inside.

“Well that's enough teasing for today,” Hermione insisted taking off her coat and throwing it on a nearby chair - where all the others were piled.

Harry stepped through the door and threw his own coat on top of Hermione's. “So where is everybody?” Harry called out.

“We're in the kitchen at the moment!” George called and they heard him being silenced by many other voices.

“You'll wake them,” Molly chided as Harry and Hermione came around the corner to find the entire Weasley family and the twins gathered around the kitchen table. Hermione pushed her way up to see what they were all looking at even though she had a fairly good idea already. She forced herself in between Fred and George, who both stepped a bit behind their wives to make room for her. Sitting on the table were three basinets; one for each of the triplets.

“Oh Ron, they look more like you then they did when they were born,” Hermione cooed. She and Harry hadn't seen the triplets since they were a week old - since that night Harry took the initiative and asked Hermione out.

“Yeah, but some how they've still come out looking quite adorable,” Fred whispered and George snickered.

“Yeah, we had to pay extra for that feature,” Ron joked. "It's about seven Galleons a month per child to keep them cute, but Luna and I decided it was a sound investment.” The adults in the kitchen smiled mirthfully.

“Has it gotten any easier at all?” Hermione asked, suddenly feeling guilty for not helping Ron and Luna over the past three weeks.

“A bit, but not much,” Ron told her. "They have more of a schedule of when they eat and sleep and that's helped, but it's still challenging.” Hermione was about to apologize for not helping when Luna unintentionally cut her off.

“Speaking of which; it's time they were fed.”

“All right Mum, we'll just be -”

“I'll go with Luna, you stay here and entertain your guests,” Molly said kindly gathering Oliver and Harry into her arms. She'd obviously had lots of practice carrying two babies at once because she managed it with a great deal of ease.

“Thanks Mum,” Ron said smiling weakly.

“It's no trouble at all dear,” Molly said smiling at her youngest son.

“My poor tired husband,” Luna said honestly, sweetly pushing Ron's long hair off his face.

“It's all worth it, love,” Ron assured her as she bent over and kissed him softly. It was then that Hermione realized why Ron looked so exhausted - Quidditch practice would have just started up again.

“Well, we'll be right back,” Luna declared scoping Jason up into her arms and following Molly up the stairs.

“This is boring,” Little Arthur said after his Aunt and Grandmother had left.

“No one said you had to stay in here with us,” Charlie told his son frankly. “You and your cousins can go and play.” The children didn't stick around to be told twice. They disappeared up into the house and could be heard running around, playing a game of some sort.

“Well they were just waiting for an invitation to leave, weren't they?” George asked chuckling a bit.

“Babies are so boring to them George,” Hermione explained, having introduced her twins to babies of friends a few times, she knew how this worked. “Babies that small just don't do anything.”

“True,” Fred nodded looking down at his daughter, cradled against her mother's body. Fred loved her but she certainly didn't do much.

“Oh Harry, Hermione I wanted to show you something,” Percy said suddenly after a bit of a lull, pulling something out of his back pocket. He unfolded a piece of parchment and handed it to Harry and Hermione. It was a news clipping saying that Rita Skeeter had been arrested though the details of her arrest still hadn't been released to the public yet.

“When did this happen?” Hermione asked excitedly gesturing to the picture of Rita being arrested.

“Just last night - that was in this morning's paper, but I assumed that since you don't get the paper you wouldn't have seen the clipping.”

“No we didn't, that is such great news. Thank you Percy.”

“Well it was all thanks to your tips,” Percy said referring to Hermione's letter, which she had remembered to send the morning after she wrote it. “Without the evidence you had collected, Hermione, we wouldn't have been able to arrest her.”

“Thank you Percy, I truly thank you,” Hermione said honestly and then added looking at Harry, “finally that woman will be out of our lives forever.”

“It's very exciting,” Harry assured her smiling. “I never thought I'd be happy about someone being arrested.”

“Well, we've never known anyone who deserved it so much,” Hermione said. “It's like an amazing weight has been lifted - we don't have to worry about that woman writing false stories about us anymore.” Harry smiled at her.

Within ten minutes of the triplets being taken off upstairs, Ron, Harry, and Hermione were left alone in the kitchen. Angelina had wondered off to a deserted room to feed Olivia, Fred following right along with her. Percy went up to check on the kids upstairs since he was sure he's heard a child slamming into something. Fleur, Miranda, Penelope, and Lauren were all fussing over Ginny, and they eventually convinced her to go sit in the living room while their husbands, and Arthur, wandered out into back garden making small talk, possibly just going out to watch the sky.

“So how is this fatherhood thing treating you really?” Harry asked sitting down in a chair opposite Ron.

“It's good, really exhausting, especially now that Quidditch has started up again, but very much worth it.”

“So you're still going to do Quidditch?” Hermione asked skeptically, stepping up behind Harry and massaging his shoulders. She knew what a challenge two babies could be, but she could imagine raising three and playing a professional sport - even with Luna's help this couldn't be easy for Ron.

“Well, I hope I'll be able to, so does Luna. It might turn out that, when my full schedule starts up again, I'll be away too much, but we'll see - we'll see how much time I have with the boys. If it's not enough, I've told the team that I will retire.”

“You seem to have your stuff together,” Harry said nodding.

“I've tried. So mate, how is this fatherhood thing treating you?”

“It's been very nice, I'm enjoying it immensely. Lily and James are exceptionally bright, like Hermione.”

“I don't know if the world can handle many more like her,” Ron joked. Hermione glared at him, but didn't say anything so that Harry could finish what he was saying.

“Well, they are bright like her, whether the world can handle it or not. And they are full of life and energy and it's just the best thing.”

“Yeah I can't wait until my boys are the age of your twins. Don't get me wrong I love them they way they are, but three of them at once who are completely dependent on you for everything - it's a bit overwhelming.”

“I'm sorry we haven't been there to help you,” Hermione interjected feeling very guilty again.

“Don't worry about it. What with the two of you just starting your relationship and Harry just getting to know the twins, Luna and I don't blame you for being busy. Besides, the others have been helping.”

“That doesn't make it all right,” Hermione insisted.

“Hermione, you have your own life to focus on right now. Luna and I understand that and we know that if we ever need you two you'll be there for us. But enough of this talk about kids - tell me how things are going between you two?” Ron demanded raising his eyebrows at his childhood mates.

“Well things are going really good for us,” Harry said proudly patting Hermione's hands on his shoulders.

“How well is very well?” Ron asked with a wink to Harry.

“We are actually taking our time,” Harry said and Ron nodded with a wicked grin.

“Hermione, come help me!” Ginny called from the front room.

“Coming Ginny,” Hermione called back and, giving Harry's shoulders one last loving squeeze, she walked out of the room.

“So you're taking your time?” Ron asked skeptically leaning back in his chair.

“Yes we are,” Harry assured him mimicking Ron by leaning back in is chair as well.

“Are you really or is she taking it for both of you?”

“Actually, it was my idea.”

“What?” Ron asked incredulously, “Harry, mate, that has got to be the dumbest thing I have ever heard.”

“Ron, I love her and I suggested that we wait for the perfect moment. And she really likes that idea. Honestly I think she's a little scared.”

“Of what - you've shagged before.”

“She's been with a grand total of two people. Krum, who turned out to be an ass, and me. And the only reason she shagged me was because I asked her to, she only did it as a favor.”

“She hasn't been with anyone since you all those years ago?”

“Basically.”

“You are going to die one very repressed man,” Ron informed him sadly.

“Oh no, I'm not,” Harry promised Ron. “On our second date, when I came up with this brilliant idea of mine, we were this close to it. But I wanted it to be special, like I've said, and she agreed with me that we were going to wait till we were both ready.”

“And what makes you so sure she's ever going to be ready?”

“Let's just say she drops her own clues about it; like inviting me to spend my nights in her bed.”

“But you haven't gone any further?”

“Not yet,” Harry said, confident that this answer was soon to change.

“Give it up mate, you've got it bad and you're not getting anything from it.”

“And the last time you -”

“Don't finish that question. It's been ages, but I'm waiting patiently.”

“Well, that's the same thing for me and `Mione. It's been ages, but I'm waiting patiently.”

“If you say so mate,” Ron said simply. Harry shook his head at his friend's stubbornness just as Luna came back down the stairs with little Harry in her arms.

“You know you shouldn't do that too often,” Luna told Harry wistfully. “You could shake your brain loose.”

“All right Luna,” Harry said skeptically looking over to Ron, who merely shrugged his shoulders and laughed silently. “I'll be sure to keep that in mind.”

“Well if you keep shaking your head you won't be able to,” Ron whispered before he could stop himself. Harry had to cover his laugh with a loud cough so that Luna wouldn't hear him.

“So, Harry, would you like to hold your godson?” Luna asked unaware that her husband and his best mate had just been laughing at what she said.

“I'd love to,” Harry said holding out his arms. “Which one is he?”

“This is Harry,” Luna said passing her first born to his namesake.

“Oh he looks just like me,” Harry joked and Luna smiled. “Hey little guy - your Mum and Dad been treating you all right?” Harry asked sweetly running his finger down his cheek. Little Harry shuffled a bit in his blanket and opened his eyes to look at his godfather.

“I think that's about as close to a yes as you're going to get,” Ron told Harry as he got up from his chair.

“Unless it's secret code for no,” Harry said thoughtfully.

“Oh, they pawned one off on you too,” Hermione's voice said from the doorway. Harry repositioned himself in his chair so he could look at her, standing just inside the room a bundle of blankets with a red hair cuddled safely in her arms.

“Yeah, but mine is named after me,” Harry boasted, “who do you have?”

“Oliver,” Hermione told him stepping up behind his chair and then added to Luna and Ron, “Molly still has Jason in the living room.”

“Thanks, I'm going to go check on him,” Ron said grabbing Luna's hand and leading her out of the room. Harry got the distinct impression that they weren't so much going to check on their son as they were giving Harry and Hermione time alone.

“So, what did you and Ron say about me when I was in the living room?” Hermione asked letting Oliver suck on her finger.

“What makes you think we were talking about you?”

“Because I know Ron,” Hermione stated simply.

“He was just asking me about us,” Harry admitted.

“I thought as much. So what did you tell him?”

“That we had agreed to wait for the perfect moment,” Harry told her truthfully pushing out the chair next to him so that she would sit. “I think he was hoping that if he wasn't getting shagged then at least his best mate was.”

“Luna will be looking to change that pretty soon I'm sure. She just feels very uncomfortable at the moment.”

“Yeah I'm sure she does. Listen, I've been thinking,” Harry started turning to Hermione, “I want to tell Lily and James about us - I'm tired of having to hide my affection for you.”

“Harry, I'm not so sure about that - I don't want to hide you either, but with everything that's going on right now -”

“'Mione, if we wait until things calm down the twins will never know we're together.”

“I guess that's true.”

“You know our lives are always going to be a bit crazy.”

“I do know Harry - all right lets tell them. In fact lets tell them now,” Hermione insisted standing up again and managing to take little Harry in her arms without losing her hold on Oliver.

“How did you -?” Harry started to ask in amazement.

“A great deal of practice,” Hermione explained simply smiling at him. She disappeared into the living room and came back sans the babies, but with the twins. “They were in the living room playing with Jason.”

“What did you want to talk to us about?” Lily asked sitting in Hermione's chair.

“Well your father and I have to admit something to you,” Hermione said sitting on the other side of Harry. Before she could continue James crossed the room to sit in her lap. Pushing his hair from his face, Hermione smiled at Harry, he smiled back and continued for her.

“Yes, I'm afraid we've been keeping something from you. For the past three weeks now, your mother and I have been seeing each other,” Harry explained.

James and Lily stared at them expectantly, but when neither of their parents said anything more Lily asked, “And?”

“Well we love each other and plan to continue seeing each other.”

“We'd figured that much out,” Lily said still expecting there to be more. Harry and Hermione exchanged a look; they were both only slightly surprised, Lily and James were both intelligent and observant.

“But why didn't you just tell us?” James asked turning around to look at his mother.

“We were afraid that if things didn't work out between the two of us, you'd be attached to the idea of us being together. We just didn't want to get your hopes up before we were sure of what we were doing.”

“And what are you doing?” Lily asked.

“I've just told you we are seeing each other.”

“Dose everybody know?” James asked.

“Some of them do, because we asked them to watch you so we could have dinner together. The others have probably guessed by now.”

“But you've only been seeing each other for three weeks - is it serious?” Lily asked. One look at her, and Hermione could tell that Lily didn't really understand what she was asking. This was obviously a question she'd heard asked of others, though Hermione couldn't think of when that might have happened.

“Fairly serious,” Hermione answered truthfully. “You're father and I have been very close since we were eleven, so our relationship comes very easy to us.”

“But I thought you told us you didn't love him that way?” James asked.

“When did you tell them that?” Harry asked not at all knowing what they were talking about.

“Before the World Cup match Lily asked me if I loved you,” Hermione explained. “I told them that I loved you as a friend.”

“Ah, how things change.”

“Indeed,” Hermione said with a laugh. "Well, James, I didn't love him that way, at least if I did I didn't realize it. But spending time with him has made me realize that I do love him - and not just as a friend.”

“And what about you, Daddy?” Lily asked.

“I've loved your mother for a number of years now,” Harry admitted. "Since about the day she left to America."

“Then why didn't you ever come and see her?” James questioned.

“I think we've strayed into dangerous territory,” Harry said looking to Hermione who nodded in agreement. “This is more of a conversation for when you are older.” Lily and James frowned at him, but Harry refused to say anymore. This was something he'd rather talk about with the twins when they were adults, not children.

“What are the four of you doing in here?” Bill asked coming in from outside.

“Just talking,” Harry answered and Bill gave them a knowing nod.

“Well, come on out, I think we're moving this party outside, since we can barely fit everyone in one room,” Bill said loudly stepping towards the living room so everyone would hear him.

“We're coming,” Ginny called.

“What did she need your help for?” Harry asked as James got out of Hermione's lap so she could stand up.

“They were fussing over her and she wanted someone to divert their attention to,” Hermione explained.

“Ah so they were fussing over you instead.”

“Kind of - they wanted to know how things were going between us, if we were getting serious.”

“What did you tell them?”

“That we loved each other and were moving at our pace,” Hermione explained as Harry took her hand and started to lead her outside.

“We seem to be saying that a lot today,” Harry commented.

“Yes, we do,” Hermione agreed.

“You know what the best thing is about us telling the twins?” Harry asked as they stepped out onto the back porch.

“What would that be?” Hermione questioned as Harry wrapped their linked hands around her back.

“I can do this whenever I want,” Harry said pulling Hermione's body into his and kissing her passionately. The Weasleys in the garden erupted into catcalls and cheers at the site of Harry and Hermione kissing, causing the two of them to start laughing. Hermione buried her beet red face into Harry's chest as he leaned his head back in laughter.

“You're not going to be doing that all the time are you?” James asked disgustedly from the kitchen. Harry looked back to his son and saw him staring at them, a look of total revulsion on his face.

“Aren't you a bit young to be embarrassed by you parents?” Harry asked pulling his arm from around Hermione and ruffling James' hair.

“Not if you're going to be doing that,” James insisted ducking out of reach of Harry's hand.

“I think it's sweet,” Lily said from the other side of them, she'd made it outside before Harry and Hermione's display.

“You would,” James told her coming around their parents. “Because it means you were right.” Lily merely smiled at him. Looking at his daughter just then, Harry was reminded of a much younger Hermione and the victorious look that spread across her face whenever she knew something he and Ron didn't.

“That daughter of yours sure has the same smug look as you, Hermione,” Ron called from the table where he was sitting. Apparently Harry wasn't the only one with a long memory.

“That's because she's smart like I was - she's often right,” Hermione informed Ron glaring dangerously at him.

“What a beautiful day,” Ron said suddenly, looking away from Hermione and attempting to change the subject. “Couldn't have asked for a better day for a party for my sons; my sons who I love and want to see grow up.”

“Don't worry Ron, she wont kill you.” Harry laughed, his arm wrapping around Hermione's back again as they walked towards the gathered Weasleys.

“No, she'll just gouge my eyes out,” Ron insisted.

“You're the one who poked the sleeping dragon - you'll have to suffer the consequences,” Harry told him.

“Since when am I a sleeping dragon?” Hermione asked pulling away from Harry slightly, sounding a bit hurt.

“First year,” Harry and Ron said together.

“It's nothing bad,” Harry explained. "In fact, it's come in handy quite a few times, like in third year when you slapped Malfoy.”

“Or fifth year when you lead Umbridge out into the forest,” Ron offered and Harry nodded.

“When you get riled you're dangerous - that's all I meant,” Harry said pulling Hermione back into his arms and kissing her cheek softly. Her anger at Harry evaporated very quickly.

“All right you two, enough of that,” Bill said walking out of the kitchen. “We're all happy you're together, but it's time to eat.”

“Never come between Weasleys and food,” Harry told Hermione who smiled and nodded.

“Well, technically we're not coming between them; we're just standing here minding our own business.”

“Minding it in the middle of the back garden. Now come on, sit down and eat,” Charlie's wife, Miranda, said motioning to two open chairs right next to each other. Harry stepped up to the table and pulled one of the chairs out for Hermione.

“You're so sweet,” Hermione whispered running her hand along Harry's cheek as she sat in the chair.

“Harry, mate, are you trying to show us all up?” George asked. Harry merely shook his head and smiled as he sat.

“Well now that we're all here,” Ron said standing up, “I think it's time we toast to the newest Weasleys. Luna and I are very proud to introduce you all, though you have met them at least once, to our sons, Harry, Oliver and Jason.” The family cheered and raised their classes to welcome the three little ones.

“So now we have two `littles'. Little Arthur and Little Harry,” Molly said proudly.

“I don't know,” Hermione considered, turning to Harry, “we could always just call this one Big Harry.”

“How about we don't do that,” Harry said seriously shaking his head. Hermione smiled at him and ran her hand through his hair. Harry tried hard to keep a straight face, but looking at Hermione smiling and he couldn't help himself.

“I'm with James,” Fred joked, “you're not going to be doing that all the time are you?”

“As often as possible,” Hermione responded moving her chair a bit closer to Harry's. He smiled at her, placing his hand on her bare knee, and she smiled back.

Lunch was filled with lots of laughter and stories. Molly and Arthur told a number of stories about when their children were babies, including many of Ron who apparently had a fascination with daisies when he was a small child. Which was why, to this day, a large portion of the Weasley back garden was full of different colored daisies.

“Mum, do you really have to tell people about that?” Ron asked his face and his ears turning the same color as his hair.

“Oh I think its sweet, my Ronald,” Luna said linking her arm through his and squeezing his hand softly.

“Sure it is,” Fred said nodding his head.

“It's absolutely adorable,” George muttered rolling his eyes.

“I could tell a good number about you two as well,” Molly warned.

“Stories of how terribly clever we were?” Fred asked puffing out his chest a bit.

“More like how you use to dress up in Mum's jumpers and following her around the house like you were her two little girls,” Bill offered and laughed with delight as Fred and George's face fell.

“We did no such thing,” George insisted.

“I still have the pictures to prove it,” Molly promised them laughing right along with everyone else at the table.

“You see,” Bill began to explain turning to Harry and Hermione. "This was right around the time Mum was pregnant with Ron and she was hopping that he would be a girl. Fred and George here, struggling desperately for attention, decided that if they were little girls for Mum, she wouldn't have another baby. Obviously, they didn't understand that wouldn't work.”

“So Mum, anymore stories you wish to share about Ron?” Fred asked, he and George were now the same shade as Ron.

“How about we just stop telling these stories all together,” Ron offered, too glad for the subject change to let it turn against him once more.

“You guys are boring again,” Little Arthur said getting up from the table. “May I be excused?”

“Of course you may,” Miranda told her son sweetly. He ran back inside quickly, followed shortly by everyone else under the age of 25 - well, those that could walk at least.

“Now that the kids are gone, there is something that Miranda and I wanted to run past you,” Charlie said taking his wife's hand.

“Do you think it's the right time?” Miranda asked Charlie softly.

“I can't think of any better time. We're all here as a family,” Charlie said and Miranda nodded her head, agreeing silently with him. “We were thinking of adding another member to our family. Little Arthur has seen all his cousins with their siblings and he wants a little brother or sister. And we found this woman who wants to put her baby up for adoption so we thought that would be the perfect opportunity.”

“But we wanted to be sure you would be okay with it first,” Miranda explained turning her eyes down. It took Hermione a minute to understand why Charlie and Miranda were talking about adoption, but watching Miranda looking a bit ashamed, Hermione remembered. Miranda couldn't have more children.

After Little Arthur's very difficult birth, Miranda had gotten an infection that left her totally barren. Ginny had told Hermione that Miranda blamed herself for it and told Charlie, during a very desperate time, that if he wanted to leave her she wouldn't blame him. But Charlie had stood by her side insisting that if she could only have one child, then that meant he could only have one child and he was fine with that.

“Oh I think it's wonderful,” Molly said bursting into tears.

“Yeah, it's great. Another baby can only be a good thing,” Bill said clapping his younger brother on the shoulder.

“You really mean that?” Miranda asked hopefully.

“Of course we do, what did you think would happen? We'd tell you not to give an unwanted child a loving home?”

“But he or she wouldn't be ours,” Miranda said, sounding on the edge of tears.

“Miranda, if there is one family willing to take anyone in, you should know it's the Weasleys,” Harry assured her. “I mean look at Hermione and I. We aren't related to Molly and Arthur and they've loved us like there own.”

“Thank you all, for being so wonderful about it,” Miranda said smiling.

“When is this woman due?” Molly asked stepping around the table and hugging Mirada.

“In February and she's a Witch so the baby will be as well.”

“Oh, that's just wonderful. A wonderful month for a baby to be born. This has turned out to be such a wonderful day,” Molly said almost too excited for words.

“But tell us Molly how do you really feel?” Harry whispered to Hermione who laughed.

“Harry?” Hermione said softly.

“Yeah,” Harry said turning to her. Without warning Hermione kissed him softly and passionately. “What was that for?” Harry asked when she pulled her lips away again.

“I don't know,” Hermione said truthfully. She didn't know why she had the urge to kiss Harry all of a sudden, but she knew in that instant that she wanted to be around to kiss him forever.

Despite what she had told Harry earlier that day, it was in that moment, for whatever reason, that she decided she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. It was also in that moment that she decided that the next time the twins were away she and Harry would play.

AN: play…ah, what a fun concept. I personally adore the next chapter *wink wink* and I hope ya'll will to, when I get it up

div - why thank you, I thought so too, even strong people have there weak moments and yes Harry will always be Harry PJ - : ), I hope I answered all your questions in my original response sailor_girl - : ) Tomlove01 - they were just whispering about their parents and if they are ever going to admit what's going on GK Eren - wow, I can't even read this story in one sitting, I'm glad you like it and I hope stick with us as we are on the home stretch (only 9 more chapters to write) diggingupophelia - aw, thanks *blush*, that is all very sweet of ou to say Sprklnbabe14 - sorry that it's taken so long LupisNoctis1286 - : ) Lady Starlight - lol, something like that, the twins are up to something, that's for sure JayaMioneDurron - I know those people are just bad, though I did right them that way intentionally so I guess I did my job well tabitoo - well as it says at the end of the chapter, next time they are alone *wink wink* shaz124 - : ) pottergranny - well I hope you enjoy the more chapters and the other stories Lajo1013 - well I don't know that the twins are going to be getting into to much mischief, but there might be some *raises eyebrow* I might just have to find a place to slip that in eRiN_GryFFiN - YAY lazyness is over, you know many of my friends, not to mention my mother, says I should write these stories and change the names and settings, maybe I will, I don't know, it certainly is an idea, I'm glad you enjoyed my other fics as well, I appreciate the vote, even if I didn't win, and I don't know who that quote is by, I'm not even sure where I got it from, I just kinda found it and latched onto it because I found it so inspiring, definitely how I try to live my life LilHPGirl - are you kidding me, I want a boyfirend like Harry, lol hrhermione - oh that's all right, it's nice to hear from you again though SeK19005 - I think we are all waiting for that, but don't worry you won't have to wait much longer jangel0982 - : ) vikkala - now come on lets be fair, I'm not a terriable speller, I don't spell words wrong I just put the wrong words in the wrong places, lol, yeah that's always been a problem of mine, but I'm getting better, or so I've been told GPGA - they'll most definitely be making that move…eventually Kalina Malia - : ) sannihun - yeah no that probably wouldn't be wise, lol Luna_Tyler - I think we all have those moments in our lives (and those who haven't are probably young kids), and yeah take charge Harry is very sexy, I'm sorry I took so long to update Misadies1 - I know, but some people just can't keep their mouths shut KJ Bridgerton - : ) DreamAngel - : ) paochi_cute - : ) Shellbell18 - well nothing is ever that easy, but they will try Dizzy025 - : ) Egla - I think so too Sindy Perceval - : ) MooMooAshley - 1st, thank you, I'm glad you enjoy it so much…2nd, I'm glad your stubborn gave the story a chance and like it…3rd, my whish is my command (at least this time it is since my beta returned this chapter about two hours after I got your review)…I hope you both like this chapter : )

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25. Music of the Night

AN: So here is chapter 25…I'll warn you now, this chapter is basically just a glorified love scene, if you don't want to read about them making love, then skip this chapter.

Music of the Night

Harry grumbled to himself as he made his way back to number twelve. It was a very wet, very cold, very windy Saturday morning and Hermione had sent him off to into the stormy mess that had once been called London to get groceries, of all things. He had protested a bit, it was their one month anniversary after all - he wanted to spend as much of the day with her as possible but Hermione had insisted they were short on several items and sent him out. He'd done the shopping as quickly as possible, but it still took him over a hour. Apparently, the rain of biblical proportions that they were currently experiencing was the signal for every Londoner -and some imports from neighboring cities, Harry was sure of it- to go to the market nearest to Grimmauld Place.

But Harry had struggled through the crowds; purchased the few items they simply couldn't do without, and made his way back home relatively unscathed. Though he was soaked to the bone, and that certainly wasn't pleasant. The worst part was when the bags threatened to rip apart and spill their contents into the roadway turned river that he was sloshing through. He was able to prevent disaster by pulling out his wand and quickly repairing the bags; luckily he was alone in the roadway at the time. After fifteen minutes Harry finally lost his patience with the rain and decided to take a shortcut. Ducking into a side alley he checked that he was alone and then apparated to the front hall on number twelve.

“That's better,” Harry muttered to himself when he was, at long last, out of the torrential rain. He shook himself off, a bit like a wet dog, kicked off his dripping wet shoes and socks, and went to stow the groceries he'd just bought. It was empty, which was odd only because James and Lily would normally be eating lunch around that time. Deciding they must have eaten early that day he put the newly purchased food away and began to head upstairs.

In the hallway he noticed that the house was dark, dark and quiet. Had it been this dark when he'd gone down into the kitchen? He couldn't remember it being dark, but he couldn't remember it not being dark. He'd been too focused on putting the food away and getting into dry clothes to notice. Something was most definitely amiss.

Coming to the stairs, Harry was greeted by a piece of parchment taped to the banister. The parchment held no words, merely an arrow directing him up the stairs. What is this about? He wondered to himself as he walked slowly up the stairs.

At the first floor landing Harry found another arrow pointing further up into the house. Halfway up the stairs, he noticed a light above him; it was a soft, flickering light, most likely a fire. When he found the third arrow, instructing him to go to the top level of the house, a suspicion entered his mind. Hermione was up to something; something for just the two of them.

His suspicions were increased when he reached the third floor and found hundreds of tiny, white candles, making a path from the top of the stairs, across the landing and down the hall towards his bedroom.

Harry could feel himself smiling as he walked the path of candles, coming quickly to his door. He was almost positive that he knew exactly what was waiting for him on the other side of the door. Pushing it open slowly he was not disappointed.

Hermione was standing in front of his bed, surrounded by more candles of varying sizes, looking at him. She looked - there wasn't a word to describe how she looked - her hair looked wavy and soft, and she had made herself up in soft natural tones. She was wearing a little slip of a black silk dress that was skin tight, amazingly short, and a bit longer at the back then the front. At its lowest point, the skirt came about halfway up her thigh, at its highest point it would come close to be considered way too short to wear in public.

“Wow,” Harry exclaimed softly, not able to raise his voice above a whisper, he was so taken aback by how amazing she looked. She held out her hand to him, beckoning him forward, and he obliged.

“Harry,” she said softly, letting him take hold of her hand.

“Yes, `Mione?”

“We have the house entirely to ourselves, the twins have gone off to their Grandparents' house. It's just you and me.”

“Oh yes?”

“Yes,” Hermione assured him kissing his rough fingertips sensually.

“It would seem that we've found our perfect moment,” he breathed, watching her run his fingers across her soft lips.

“My thoughts exactly,” she said between kisses. Harry felt his mouth curl into a smile at the thought of being alone with her. Before he could stop himself he moved his hands away from her mouth and kissed her. “You know, we really should get you out of those wet clothes,” she purred in his ear, peeling his sopping wet sweater off his torso; it stuck only a bit, making it cling to his well defined abdomen.

He gladly let her divest him of his clothing while kissing his bare chest softly as her hands pulled open his belt and undid his zip. He moaned happily as her lips played across his nipples. Amazingly, no one had ever done that to him before. She brought her lips up to his as his pants fell to the floor, catching his lips with hers as her hand ran down his hardening length. His moan was lost in their mouths and she continued to touch him tenderly as they kissed.

He ran his hand up her arm and played lightly at the shoulder strap of her dress, “You're over dressed,” he breathed. “I could help you with that,” Harry offered, slipping his finger under the spaghetti strap and pulling it down her shoulder.

She took hold of his hand to stop him going any further, “Wait, Harry.”

“I thought you wanted this?” he questioned.

“Oh I do Harry,” she insisted, “more than anything, but I want to warn you. I'm…well it's just…my body isn't what it once was, nothing like it was when you last saw me naked.”

He laughed off her words. “I would be terrified if you did, you're a grown women, you shouldn't have the body of a teenager.”

“No Harry, I mean, things that once didn't, now sag, and my stomach isn't nearly what it use to be.”

He continued to dismiss her words. “You're perfect, `Mione, just the way you are.”

“I just wanted to give you fair warning, I don't want you to be disappointed.”

He purred lustfully in her ear, “'Mione, my love. Shut up and let me make love to you.” She instantly gave up her resistance; moving her hand away from his and letting him pull the straps off her shoulders and down her arms. The soft silk material slid down over her breasts and he descended, kissing the overflowing flesh, biting at it lightly. She moaned happily, linking her arms around his neck and pushing her chest up, closer to him.

Continuing his assault on her supple breasts, he finished pulling the dress down her body, letting it fall softly to the floor. She stood there, dressed only in her black satin knickers, moaning softly as his hand ran down to her waist. Pushing them down her hips he let them fall to the floor with the rest of their clothes.

His lips moved up to her neck as his hands skimmed the back of her thighs and in one seamless motion he had her legs up on his hips. She gasped in surprise, but moaned in pleasure again as he brushed against her entrance.

Stepping around the candles carefully, he carried her over to his bed, gently laying her down. She looked so exquisite lying there, that he was almost tempted to just look at her, but she groaned impatiently and he knew he wouldn't survive him just looking at her. He wanted to kiss every inch of her, caress her softly, and most importantly, show her that she was loved.

Climbing onto the bed next to her he brought their lips together. His hands began roaming her body, causing her to writhe against his tender touch. He was worshiping her body slowly, bringing to life sensations she'd never felt before.

“Oh, Harry,” she moaned as he moved over her and let his lips follow the path his hands had just taken. He grinned devilishly up at her from his position just above her waist and slid his tongue down into her navel and watched -with great joy- as pleasure rippled across her face. Her hands reached wildly for him as his lips descended lower and lower; moving across the line of her hips and working his way down her leg. Reaching the very tip of her toe he moved to her other leg and kissed his way back up her body.

His face, coming to level with hers once more, he let himself hover above her for a moment; remembering the last time they'd been in that position. He'd been a bumbling teenager then, with absolutely no idea what he was doing now. He felt just as nervous as he did back then; though he hid it better this time. Yes, he'd been with people since her, but he hadn't loved any of them, he loved her and wanted this to be amazing - for both of them.

“'Mione,” he said softly, bringing his lips down to her neck, “we're not ready for more children.”

“No,” she breathed, understanding his point, “I've taken care of it, don't worry.” She'd taken a potion that morning that would prevent conception.

“Good,” he mumbled, kissing the small indentation at the base of her neck as he moved his legs between hers, coaxing her thighs apart gently with his hand. He positioned himself at her entrance and touched his forehead to hers. Her arms wrapped around his back, keeping his body almost directly on top of hers.

Her eyes fluttered up to meet his and she smiled blissfully at him, her voice full of need she said, “Yes, Harry, please.”

Keeping his eyes with hers he thrust forward gently, burying himself deeply in her. He lingered there for a moment, watching as her lips parted and she gasped silently. Capturing her parted lips with his, he began to thrust slowly. Their eyes still locked together, their tongues playing together in their joined mouths, their bodies flowed together. He pushed down and she pushed back.

He was trying to savor their time together and make these simple moments continue on forever, but his body was betraying him. He could feel the muscles in his groin tightening, approaching release. Harry tried to fight back the urge, but it continued to grow with every move he made. Moments later, her lips feel away from his and she screamed his name for the entire world to hear. As her body trembled around him with the after effects of orgasm, he lost whatever control he had and released himself within her, groaning loudly as he came, all words failing him.

Again, he hovered over her, neither one of them moving as they came down off such a natural high. Finally, when he felt his own breath even out, he came to rest beside her. Pulling her sweaty body into his, her back against his chest; she could feel his heart beating rapidly, and knew her own was matching his pace.

Brushing her hair out of her face he leaned in and whispered in her ear: “You could never disappoint me.”

She laughed slightly at her own stupidity. “Clearly.” They lay there silently for a few moments, his hands stroking her hair and her stomach respectfully and she simply enjoyed the way her body fit into his.

It was Harry who first broke the silence. Laughing slightly he spoke. “Remind me to put up silencing charms if we ever do this while the twins are at home.”

She laughed with him, “I can't help it if I'm a very vocal person.”

“So I've come to realize, and appreciate” he said sweetly in her ear. “I know I said this last time too, but that was amazing.”

“Yes,” she agreed, “it was amazing.” Silence descended again until she muttered softly, “Harry, I wish you had been my first.”

He didn't seem surprised by this at all. “I wish you had been my only.”

Hermione turned in his arms so she could face him, “We make quite the pair, don't we?”

“Yes, we both think too much. You left to make me happy and I let you go for the same reason.”

“We do think too much,” she conferred, “but we've been doing it for years, I don't know that there is anything that can change us now.” Instead of offering a response Harry rolled away from her, a look of deep contemplation on his face. She followed him across his large bed and turned him to face her. “What's wrong?” she asked.

“I was just thinking,” he confessed, “thinking of all the years we wasted not being honest with each other. If I'd just told you I loved you, where would we be now?”

“I don't know Harry,” she said honestly.

“We'd be married, we'd have other children, we wouldn't have had to face some of the things we faced.”

She shook her head. “Don't speculate,” she insisted. “I'm happy, just here, with you. We can't change our past.”

“I know `Mione, and I'm ruining the moment aren't I?”

“Yes,” she answered honestly.

“I'm sorry,” he told her, pulling her to him again.

Laying her head on his chest, she spoke. “That's all right Harry, I forgive you.”

He began to stroke her hair again. “That was quite the ruse you pulled on me.”

“I thought it was very clever,” she confessed.

“Except for the fact that it's pouring with rain out there, it was brilliant.”

“Well, I wanted it to be a surprise,” she insisted.

He smiled at her, understanding her motivations, “I know love, and it was a wonderful surprise to come home to.”

AN: It's about damn time - that's all I have to say. But I have a bit of bad news to report, chapter 26 is not coming along smoothly at all. I'm now on version three of the chapter, and I think I'm finally happy with the way it's going, but ya'll say a prayer and be patient - I have a feeling that I'm in for quite the battle with this one, though I have no idea why. Oh and sorry this chapter was kinda short, but I can promise you it is the last one I have planned

Kalina Malia - lol, what can I say, I'm a dirty minded person and it was late when I wrote that Lady Chancellor - : ) MrsDanielRadcliffe - um…yeah I know, sometimes things get overlooked, I'll work on it, thanks Ginnie - : ) Lady Starlight - I have to give the credit for that joke to my cousin Brian, he actually said that to my brother and I at the family Christmas party, he has the absolutely adorable little blond boy with gray-blue eyes and he joked that they have to pay a fee every month to keep him cute - I just thought it was so great that I had to add it in…oh and it's very cool to hear this story is one of your favorite stories fairyp80 - : ) Lajo1013 - there will be a bit more about the adoption, but not a whole lot since it's not one of the main story lines izzieq - I suppose it would be a natural reaction for him, I never really thought about it, in my head Harry is already looking forward to having more kids with Hermione so he's not so much jealous of Ron as he is excited about what he has to look forward to Sek19005 - finally ::winkwink:: lol diggingupophelia - yeah the adoption thing I added because in my mind Charlie and Miranda have been moving towards that for a while now. Miranda, god bless her, feels very, um…flawed around all these families who can conceive a child at will, keeping in mind that she is a muggle, she feels even more like she doesn't fit in with them because she can't conceive children and she wants there acceptance more then anything, she doesn't really get that she already has it and wants to make sure that they'd “approve” of her and Charlie's decision to adopt - it's really just an insecurity of hers, plus I could have her showing up later on with a child and not explain why she was never pregnant, it was just easier this way Shellbell18 - : ) GPGA - I do adore this chapter, I think it's about time the two of them get together, they deserve it after all they've gone through eRiN_GryFFiN - I sleep, the deep knowing sleep, of a writer who can keep people interested, thank you ever so much for saying you think I'm a great writer - that really means a lot to me - it really is my dream to have my writing be my career and it's nice to get such a positive affirmation pottergranny - : ) hernndzzz - lol, that's very nice of you, but as for the angst question, well, you're going to have to wait and see Mani12191 - yeah sorry this one is shorter, but I can promise you that this is the last short chapter there is Luna_Tyler - : ) Tomlove01 - : ) harryhermione731 - lol, I loved that story too, I have no idea where it came from, it was just there Gorgena - : ) Anu - : ) Green_Eye_Sparkle16 - I gotta tell you, I love this review, it's so sweet, thank you so much for all the kind words, I'm glad you love the story ginnymalfoy21 - : ) greenevans - about as mature as I am for writing the sentence that way, lol CrimsonTemplar - the “M” word is coming I can promise you that peterson32 - well they are kind of PDA types, in certain places/situations orange - no, it's not over, we still have eleven chapters to go harry n hermione - : ) div - well now I can't tell you what the future holds, it would suck the fun out of the story ::wink:: MichellRadcliffe - : ) Lady Celmer-Malfoy - I'm so glad you like my collection, and reading it all in one day - wow - I can't even do that Misadies1 - lol, : ) hermione4harry - : ) paochi_cute - they do have triplets - YAY them and I'll let you in on a little secret, in four years they are going to have twin girls, but that's long after this story is over, that's why I can tell you that and not feel like I'm giving away some big secret : )

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26. Happiness, a Long Time Coming

AN: I just wanted to warn you guys that things get a little hot in the beginning so if you don’t want to read that skip down to the fifth paragraph and pretend that they were playing Twister or something. Oh and thank you all for waiting patiently for this chapter, I know it’s taken a long time and that I have said this before, but I’m sorry it’s taken so long. I honestly think this chapter hated me.

Happiness, A Long Time Coming

Harry moaned in his sleep. He was having such a wonderful dream; a dream of his ‘Mione: Her lips against his jaw; her hand working wonders on his hardening erection… He moaned again, louder this time as her lips traveled down his neck and across his collar bone, nibbling tenderly as she went.

“Happy anniversary, love,” she purred lustfully in his ear. He mumbled something in response as her mouth trailed down his smooth chest, kissing softly down to his navel. His eyes flew open when her lips suddenly jumped from his chest to his erection; he wasn’t dreaming after all. There she was… well, her form anyway; he couldn’t quite make her out without his glasses. Quickly grabbing his glasses from the bedside table, he watched as her hands moved to the outside of his thighs and she took him fully into her mouth.

His jaw fell open and he could feel his eyes rolling back as her tongue worked magic on him. He could feel another moan starting at the back of his throat, but it quickly turned into a long low groan as his orgasm took him completely by surprise. His eyes closed in the sudden moment of pleasure, his hands gripping at the sheets bellow him and then letting go again.

When his breath began to even out again, he opened his eyes to find Hermione sitting next to him; her legs tucked under her bum, her chest rising and falling sharply with her own shallow breath, a satisfied grin on her face.

He smiled at her, “Now that is a proper way to be awoken,” he said, pushing himself up so he was in a sitting position.

She smiled back at him, placing her hand on his chest, “Well, I thought it would be a nice surprise. After all, it is our two month anniversary.”

He let his fingers intertwine with hers. “Two month already?” Harry questioned; it seemed as if she had been with him forever, but at the same time, it felt like they’d just shared that disastrous first date a few days ago. This was a dangerous relationship they were in, if it was going to make time feel so unreal.

She echoed his words, her voice barley above a whisper. "Two months already.”

“It doesn’t seem like nearly that long,” he declared, his free hand resting gently on her cheek, rubbing his thumb in soft circles, watching her watch him.

“What?” she asked when she noticed that his green eyes were focused on her.

He laughed to himself, tucking a loose curl behind her ear, “I would ask you the same thing.”

“Oh,” she said, laughing nervously when realizing she’d been staring too. “I was just…” her voice trailed off as her eyes looked down and her cheeks reddened slightly.

“You were just…?”

“I was, well, admiring you,” she admitted, the blush in her cheeks rising quickly.

“Nothing wrong with that,” he joked, shaking his head and puffing out his chest.

She smiled. “I suppose that’s true, it’s just I feel like a teenager who’s been caught staring at her secret lover or something.”

He grinned madly. “Now I’m your secret lover, am I? Think I like that title.”

“Harry,” she laughed, hitting him playfully.

“So what exactly were you admiring?” He questioned, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“You,” Hermione answered simply, pulling her hand off his chest and running it through his hair. “The way your hair frames your face; the fact that it looks so much more tamed now that it’s longer. Your eyes; seeing the way they come to life when you’re happy… remembering the way they blaze when you’re angry. Your lips; wondering how many times I’ve kissed them and how many times I’ll get to kiss them in the future. The way –” Harry cut her off, capturing her lips with his in a kiss only lovers can share.

“I love you, Harry,” she declared into his lips.

“I love you too, ‘Mione,” he responded breathlessly. He was about to kiss her again when a ringer went off on her bedside table. He turned to scowl at her alarm clock. “Why in the world did you set that blasted thing?”

“Because,” she responded, climbing over him and shutting off the alarm. “The twins have to be ready in two hours; we said we’d get them to Ginny and Daniel’s by nine.”

“I’d forgotten that,” he confessed. They’d made plans to have the day to themselves so they could go shopping for Christmas, which, as James loved to remind him, was quickly approaching.

“Yes well, now that I’ve reminded you,” she said stepping off the bed. Harry made a grab for her but she was out of reach already. She was pulling on a pair of her knickers; covering that up with a pair of his boxers she liked to sleep in, and the button up he’d been wearing the night before.

“Oh, that’s a lovely outfit,” he teased, leaning back against the pillows.

“It works for making breakfast,” she retorted, pulling on her dressing grown. “Now, while I’m doing that you get ready to take Lily and James.”

“Is that an order, Miss Granger?” he asked, one eyebrow cocked high in a questioning gesture.

She turned, smiling sweetly, “you’re damn right it is.”

He beamed, getting out of bed, watching the way her hips moved as she crossed the room to meet him. Since that first afternoon, when she had surprised him, he’d become very aware of the way her body moved and how it affected him. “You drive me wild, Granger!” He stated wrapping her in his arms.

“And you, Potter, are insatiable,” she answered back, letting him kiss her softly. “Now get showered and dressed.”

Harry let his left arm fall to his side and saluted her quickly with his right hand, clicking his bare heels against each other. “Yes, sir! Right away,” he said seriously, dropping his right arm sharply so it rested at his side like his left one, mocking soldiers he’d scene in old war movies.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes at him. “At ease there, solider,” she commanded, understanding the game he was playing.

“Well, now, I can’t promise that, not with you around anyway,” he declared, those nefarious eyebrows of his, wiggling dangerously over the rims of his glasses.

“Harry!” Hermione exclaimed accusingly.

He threw his arms up wildly, looking taken aback. “What?” Harry inquired, acting as though he had no idea what was bothering her.

“Go – get – ready,” she ordered, pushing him towards the bathroom, “I’m getting breakfast ready before you come up with any more of these vulgar suggestions of yours.”

He flashed that devilishly handsome smile of his. “You love it,” he insisted. Hermione laughed, turning on her heels and walking from the room. He smiled at her retreating back and headed into the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, dressed in gray pants and a red sweater, Harry set out for the kitchen. He could smell breakfast from the third floor landing and his stomach rumbled in response, urging him down the stairs faster. He was met at the first floor landing by Lily and James, who were coming out of Lily’s room, whispering to each other, as they often were.

“’Morning Dad,” they said in unison when they caught sight of him; they sounded very cheerful about something. Harry hated to admit it, but he was afraid to ask them what was making them so happy.

“Good morning Lily, James. You two excited about today?”

Lily nodded. “Oh yes, it should be great fun.”

“Yes, great fun,” James echoed.

Harry smiled at them. “Great! Well, let’s get going; mum is already downstairs making breakfast.”

They walked down to the kitchen and found that Hermione already had breakfast laid out for them. She’d made up bacon and eggs; one of James’ favorites. They tucked in happily and breakfast passed without much conversation, though Harry and Hermione did exchange a few glances that went unnoticed by the twins.

“Okay,” Hermione said when the twins had finished eating. “Why don’t you two go up and get ready.”

“All right Mum,” Lily and James said together, sprinting out of the kitchen.

Hermione looked curiously after them. “They’re certainly in high spirits today.”

“Yes, they are,” Harry agreed grabbing up the dishes on the table and carrying them over to the sink. “I think they are excited about us going shopping for their presents.”

“I guess,” she said shrugging her shoulders. With a flick of his wand, Harry had the dishes washing themselves. Then, stepping up behind Hermione, he wrapped his arms around her waist. She smiled, her eyes closing blissfully and leaned into his chest, breathing in the scent of him as she went.

“Happy Anniversary, ‘Mione. I’m so lucky to have you,” he said, kissing the top of her head. She let her hands rub gently over his arms and laced her fingers through his.

“We’re lucky to have each other,” she corrected.

“Yes, yes we are,” he agreed.

She moaned happily, “Can we just stay like this?” She asked, turning around in his arms.

“Oh sure,” he said nodding his head adamantly.

“Good,” she whispered, burying her face in his chest, “I never want to be away from you.”

“You’ll never have to be again,” he promised, stroking her hair softly.

It was an excited squeak from Lily, sometime later, that finally brought them back to themselves, “They’re doing it again.” She exclaimed upon seeing her parents licked together as they were.

“At least they’re not kissing this time,” James said thankfully.

“And what is wrong with your mother and I kissing?” Harry asked, lifting his chin off Hermione’s head and looking across to the twins.

James screwed up his face, “It’s just so weird. You’re our parents.”

Harry had to stifle a laugh as he whispered to Hermione, “How does he think we got to be parents?”

She giggled mirthfully turning around in Harry arms again, “I’m sorry James, but your father and I being affectionate towards each other is just something you’ll have to learn to live with.”

“I still think its sweet,” Lily insisted.

James rolled his eyes and muttered something that sounded like, “girls.”

“Someday mate, your opinion of girls will change drastically,” Harry assured his son as he released his hold on Hermione. “You two ready to go?”

“Yes,” the said in unison.

“Well, all right, say goodbye to your Mum and we’ll be on our way.”

“Goodbye Mum!” James said quickly.

“Goodbye Mummy!” Lily said taking James’ hand and leading him to the fireplace.

Hermione’s face fell, “That’s friendly,” she muttered.

“Give your mother a proper goodbye,” Harry insisted, the edge of a threat in his voice.

“Yes Dad,” they said together stepping away from the fireplace.

Lily walked quickly over to her mother, hugged her quickly saying, “Sorry Mummy, we’ll see you tonight.”

“Yeah Mum sorry, goodbye,” James said hugging Hermione after Lily had let go.

Hermione’s expression lightened, “We’ll that’s a bit better. Okay you two, you’ve said your proper goodbye, off you go. I know how excited you are to get away from your overly affectionate parents.” Their faces split into identical grins as they sprinted back to the fireplace.

Harry had lit a fire while they were over with Hermione and was now holding out the floo powder pouch to them. “Right. Through you go! I’ll be there on the other side, waiting for you.”

“We know the routine Dad,” Lily insisted, taking a handful of glittering powder from the pouch.

“Yes, but it doesn’t hurt to repeat things every now and again.”

“I guess,” Lily shrugged, throwing the powder into the fireplace, giving the address, and stepping through. James quickly went the way of his sister, leaving Harry and Hermione alone in the kitchen once more.

“Thank you,” she muttered quietly, knowing they only had a few seconds before he needed to apparate away.

“Don’t take it personally,” he insisted, “they are up to something and I have a feeling it has nothing to do with either of us.” She smiled weakly at him; he flashed a smile and a wink before disappearing with a loud crack.

Harry popped back into the kitchen of Number Twelve forty-five minutes later to find Hermione, clean and dressed in a well fitting pair of jeans and what looked like one of Harry’s button ups. She was sitting at the kitchen table, a book propped open in her hands. It must have been quite the book because she didn’t seem to notice he was back.

The intense look on her face made him smile. He’d seen that look of concentration many times during their years at Hogwarts, but that had been a long time ago, and he surprised himself when he realized that he’d missed it. He loved the way her cute nose wrinkled, just at the bridge, or the light that flashed behind her brown eyes. Stepping up behind her, Harry brushed her hair to one side and kissed the back of her neck softly.

She purred in an encouraging way, letting her book fall to the table with a soft thud, “Harry, I didn’t even hear you come back.”

“Well, that book seemed to have you enthralled,” Harry explained, straightening up.

She smiled back at him, “I’d gladly have you interrupt me any day.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he promised, “so are we ready to go?”

“Yeah, I think so,” she said, rising from her seat, “so did you find out what Lily and James were up to?” She asked, letting him take her hand.

He smiled at her, “Yes I did, but it’s a surprise so I can’t tell you.”

“Harry,” she threatened in a warning tone.

He merely shook his head, “Sorry love, but I promised. Now come on, let’s get this shopping fiasco over with.” He released her hand with a wink and disappeared. She was at his side, in the small square behind the Leaky Cauldron, a few seconds later. He pulled out his wand, tapped the bricks in the right order, and took her hand as the gateway to Diagon Alley materialized in front of them.

“You realize this is the first time we’ve been out in public, together, since that day in the park,” Hermione whispered hesitantly. Harry squeezed her hand softly, reassuringly, and smiled warmly at her.

“Yeah, I knew that,” he admitted, leading her through the gateway before it could close on them, “but I think the plan was to ignore people.”

She nodded, “Yes, that’s the plan.”

“Remember ‘Mione, there is nothing they can say to make me stop loving you,” he promised squeezing her hand again. She looked at him and smiled, knowing he was being completely sincere. She’d never felt more loved in her life then in that moment, except perhaps when her twins were small children and they depended on her for everything.

Leaning up she kissed him quickly on the lips, “That has got to be the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me,” she admitted as their lips came apart. “I’ll have to reward you for that later.”

“Mmm, does that mean you’ll wear the boots?” He asked hopefully, linking her arm through his and taking hold of her hand as he started down the Alley.

She laughed, “Yes keep that dream alive.”

He squeezed her hand softly, “I intend to hold on to it as long as it takes.”

“I hope you got a good grip because you’ll be holding on for the rest of your life,” she teased. “So, where to first?” she asked trying to change the subject before her face could turn red. As much as she loved Harry, and being with Harry, she still got embarrassed joking about such things in public.

“Gringotts,” he said motioning to the marble building a few meters ahead of them, “it’s my first Christmas, I intend to spoil them, and to do that I’ll need money.”

“Harry, promise me you won’t spoil them too much. I’ve worked very hard trying to get them to stay level headed.”

“I promise nothing,” he declared stubbornly; though he couldn’t keep the smile from creeping across his face. “Fine, I won’t spoil them, well I won’t spoil them to much. But it is Christmas; I get to be a bit frivolous – don’t I?”

She smiled, rubbing his arm softly, “Yes, you can be a bit frivolous, that’s what Christmas presents are for I suppose.”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” he promised, “especially when I’m shopping for you.”

“Oh Harry, don’t, you don’t have to buy me anything,” she insisted, she wanted this holiday to be about Harry and the twins. Plus she didn’t really didn’t need anything; she already had everything she wanted, right by her side.

Harry laughed and kissed the side of her head, “No one said I had to, ‘Mione, I want to. There is something I wanted to get you for Christmas for many years, but it would have been inappropriate, now however, it’s perfect.”

As they walked up the white stairs together, Hermione couldn’t stop herself from wondering what he was planning to get her. She didn’t care what it was, particularly; if it came from him she’d love it, she was sure of that. It was just, the way he said it. What could he want to get her that would have been inappropriate?

She was only vaguely paying attention as Harry spoke to one of the available goblins and the goblin called for another to take him down to his vault. In her mind she was going over the gifts that he’d given her for past Christmases, trying to guess what he might be planning, but trying to deduce what was going through Harry’s head, especially when she’d only been given vague clues, was absolutely impossible.

When Harry returned from his vault he nearly had to shake Hermione out of the trance she’d put herself in. “Where were you just now?” He asked, tucking her arm into the crook of his once more

“What?” She asked distantly, slowly coming out of her thoughts.

He smiled and squeezed her hand, “You’ve seemed kind of out of it; actually you’ve seemed out of it for a while now.”

She shrugged, “I’ve just been thinking.”

“I guessed as much,” he said, as they walked out of the bank, “what have you been thinking about?”

“Actually I’ve been trying to guess what you’re planning to get me,” she admitted, feeling her cheeks flush; she was supposed to be more mature then this.

He laughed, his deep, rumbling laugh, which meant he was highly amused. “Isn’t that cheating?” Harry asked, coming to a stop halfway down the steps and turning to look at her.

“I suppose it is, but now you’ve got me curious.”

“A little curiosity never hurt anyone,” he explained simply, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

“You’re enjoying this,” she accused, pointing a finger at him.

He shrugged innocently, “Maybe.”

“Oh you are, I can tell, and you’re enjoying it far too much.”

He smirked, “Well I don’t know what you’re getting me either, but you don’t hear me complaining.”

“No, because you’re too busy enjoying my pain.”

Harry laughed again, “Come on love, lets get on with things. We have quite a few stores to get to.”

“Indeed. so where too first?” She asked, letting him take hold of her hand.

“I figured we could start as the game store,” he suggested, pointing to the shop halfway down Diagon Alley from them. “Play With Magic, or what ever such nonsense it’s calling itself now. I wanted to get Gobstones for Lily and James.”

“Oh,” she gasped, “they’d love that.” The twins had, more then once, expressed an interest in the game, but Hermione had never been any good at it. “Anything else you’ve got planned.”

He gave her a half smile. “A couple things, actually, but let’s start with the Gobstones and go from there.” Harry squeezed her hand softly and started down the Gringotts steps again.

“They really do this place up for Christmas,” Hermione commented as they made their way through the bustling street. “I’d forgotten how enchanting it can be.”

“Yeah, it really is wonderful,” Harry agreed. It was impossible to deny, Diagon Alley was in top form: Enchanted snow was falling gently above them, disappearing as it met with the heads of the crowd; the store fronts had been decorated with frosted windows and fairy lights. There were even bits of holly here and there, not to mention the mistletoe hidden in a few interesting doorways. Despite the crowds, Harry loved shopping in Diagon Alley at Christmas; it was, for a lack of a better term, magical.

The game shop wasn’t very crowded, maybe a handful of people mulling around. There was one man waiting in the queue, having an argument with the wizarding chess set he was intending to purchase. Apparently the set was under the impression that the man didn’t know how to play the game. It seemed to have a very high opinion of itself and didn’t want to belong to someone who wouldn’t put it to good use.

Hermione was fighting so hard not to laugh aloud at the man’s misfortune that she had to fake a coughing fit, though it wasn’t at all a convincing one. “That’s the funniest thing I’ve seen all day,” she admitted as Harry steered her out of earshot of the man and his chess set.

He let himself chuckle a little. “I’ve never known a chess set to be so argumentative. Poor bloke, it’ll be months before he gets those pieces to listen to him.”

“I prefer muggle chess myself. I like a nice game where the pieces can’t think for themselves.”

“Yeah,” Harry agreed, “it takes some getting use to but once you’ve built a rapport with the pieces, they can be very helpful.”

She smiled at him. “Listen to you, using fancy words like rapport.”

“After nearly two decades of friendship, it seems some of your intelligence has rubbed off,” he commented, looking at the large display of Gobstones on the back wall. After a few moments of contemplation, he picked up a set of silver and deep purple ones and showed them to Hermione. “Lily would like these, wouldn’t she?”

“She’d love them,” she insisted. Silver had always been Lily’s favorite color, along with purple -especially darker shades- coming in at a close second.

He smiled, picking up a navy blue and gold set for James, who’d quickly become a fan of Puddlemere United, and its team colors, in the months he’d spent around Harry. “I think these are the ones I want,” he decided, giving the display one last perusal, making utterly sure there weren’t any better sets.

“You know,” she commented gleefully as they made their way back towards the front of the store. “This means they are going to beg you to play Gobstones with them, nonstop, for the next two months or so.”

“That’s all right,” Harry said with a shrug, “I love spending time with them.”

“I know you do,” she affirmed, trying to control the smile that was fighting to take over her face. She couldn’t exactly say why she wanted to smile so bad; it was something about Harry; him loving the twins so much, him loving her so much. Something about being where she was, with the father of her children, shopping for Christmas presents made her suddenly realize how truly blessed she was.

They joined the queue at the front of the store and waited patiently as the four customers ahead of them made their purchases and left. At the counter, the assistant did the smallest of double takes; looking from the scar on Harry’s forehead to Hermione at his side, to Harry’s scar again. He gave them the smallest knowing nod and went about treating them like any other customer. They were grateful for that. Their presence in the store had already begun to attract unwanted attention and an outburst from the assistant would only make things worse for them.

Ten minutes, four galleons, and fourteen knuts later, with Hermione on one arm and a rather weighty bag on the other, Harry stepped back out in the street, making their way to the next stop on his itinerary.

Across the street and four doors down was Stars Hallow, a store with everything for astronomy. Something Harry had quickly learned about his son was that he loved astronomy, he was fascinated by the why and how of planetary movement, and though Harry didn’t have any idea where the interest came from, he appreciated that fact that his son was passionate about something that wasn’t sports. At least it proved that James had a mind, even if he did like to let his sister do the thinking for both of them.

When Harry first learned of James’ obsession, he knew what he’d be getting his son for Christmas. He’d once thought of buying something very similar for himself, but that was so he could skip classes, James would actually use this, James would love it.

Stars Hallow was practically deserted, though the sales associate assured them it was normal for this time of year. They spent much less time in this store than they had in the last because Harry had flooed ahead. He’d wanted to make sure that the item he wanted would actually be there.

The assistant already had it ready for them when they stepped up to the counter. There, packaged up and ready to go. It was the perfect gift for James; a small glass sphere which showed every movement of the stars and planets. After a few polite words, Harry handed the clerk, Fredrik, eleven galleons and the man gave Harry the packaged up gift.

After a quick apparate home to drop of the gifts they’d purchased, Harry and Hermione started towards the last store on his list: Flourish and Blotts.

“I suppose we are shopping for Lily here?” Hermione asked, her voice filling with what could only be called glee. She loved to be in book stores, even if she wasn’t buying anything, she loved being surrounded by them.

Harry smiled at her happiness. “Yes, I thought I could get them each something for their individual interests; the galaxy model for James and a couple of books for Lily.”

“Did you have any in mind?” she asked, letting her fingers brush along the spines of the books on the nearest shelf.

“I was thinking of the updated edition of Hogwarts: A History, and a very basic introduction of Ancient Runes.”

Hermione was impressed, he knew the twins so well after only three months it was amazing. “You truly are a wonderful father,” she said softly.

He smiled and gave her a quick kiss; his own silent thank you for the vote of confidence. “Listen, do you think you could find those books for Lily?”

“Sure.”

“And then do you think you could kill about twenty minutes? I have to go pick your gift up.”

“Harry, are you asking me if I can spend twenty minutes in a book store?” Hermione questioned, giving him a surprised look.

“Right,” he said shaking his head, as if to clear his mind, “how stupid of me. I’ll be back in about twenty minutes, maybe a little more.” He gave her another quick kiss and left, fully aware that she was watching him, and would be watching him until he was out of sight. Luckily for him, the store he was heading for was around the corner and well out of sight of Flourish and Blotts.

Down the same side-ally as Weasley Wizard Wheezes, was E.J. Turner’s, a jewelry boutique. It was the last store in the bustling wizarding center, and it was the finest jewelry store in the magical world, or so everyone said. Harry walked to the store with one thing on his mind, the gift he’d wanted to buy Hermione for at least the last five years, a certain ring.

The only free sales associate in the store, an aged man named Cedric, greeted Harry jovially, recognizing him immediately of course, and asked with great fervor how he could help Harry.

“I have a couple things I’m looking for, actually,” Harry explained, taking the man’s overzealous attitude in stride. “First, I’m looking for a pendant, just a simple one, with a purple stone, white gold or silver.”

“I have a few that fit that description, if you’ll follow me,” Cedric guided Harry to a glass case in the middle of the store; full of necklaces of every style Harry could imagine and quite a large number that he would never even dream of. Immediately Harry knew which one he wanted. Almost dead center, there was a white gold pendant, simple just like he wanted, with a single teardrop shaped purple stone hanging on a delicate but sturdy chain.

Cedric, who’d been watching Harry closely, unlocked the cabinet and pulled out the necklace Harry was admiring. “That’s exactly what I wanted,” Harry explained as the salesman placed the necklace carefully in Harry’s hand.

“That’s a white gold chain and amethyst pendent. One of our nicer necklaces, I'd say.”

Harry was sure that Cedric would say that about any necklace he picked out, but then it was the man’s job to sell things. He had to get people to buy things somehow. “Yes, well the second thing is a ring I’ve placed on order. I received a letter yesterday saying it was finished and that I could pick it up any time I liked.”

“Right, let’s step over here and I’ll look for it.” Again, Harry followed Cedric, this time to a counter at the side of the store. Once behind the counter, he pulled open a drawer that was crammed with green velvet boxes. They seemed to be organized by type so the ring was easily spotted. Cedric pulled it out and handed the box to Harry.

Inside was the ring he’d ordered, as perfect as he’d imagined it would be. The platinum ring shown out from the green velvet, the square diamond in the center nicely offset by the smaller, square, deep purple stones set on either side.

“Is it to your liking?” Cedric asked hopefully.

Harry nodded. “It’s perfect.”

“Good, is there anything else I can help you with?”

“No, I think this is everything I need.”

“Good so, the ring and the pendant combined come to 2,150 galleons even.”

Harry nodded; it was steep, but ‘Mione was well worth it. He quickly filled out a bank note with his vault number and the money he wanted removed, and handed it to Cedric who smiled broadly. He’s probably on commission, Harry thought as he laid the necklace in a rectangular box, put it in a small bag with the ring, and handed the bag to Harry.

“Thank you for your custom sir,” Cedric said, a rather false smile spreading across his face. “I do hope you’ll do business with us again.”

Harry smiled politely and left the store. He felt a weight lift off his shoulders now that he had the ring, bought and paid for. It was exactly how he envisioned it, and in his mind's eye he could see how it would look on her left hand.

He imagined dropping to his knee on Christmas evening and pouring out his heart to her, asking her to be with him forever. In fact, he thought he could almost make out the expression on her face, a bit of surprise mixed with happiness, maybe even a little confused that he was asking her so soon. But he was sure she’d say yes, he wouldn’t have gotten the ring if he thought there was even a chance she’d say no.

Checking his watch casually, he saw he’d already been gone twenty minutes. “Damn,” he cursed quietly to himself. He hadn’t actually meant to be away even this long and he still had one more stop to make, luckily it wasn’t far away.

Ducking quickly into Weasley Wizarding Wheezes, Harry found it exceptionally crowded. Making his way to the front, he found both twins working behind the counter. “Do quite a trade this time of year, don’t you?” Harry said, stepping behind the counter and searching for what he needed.

“Never been ‘round this time of year?” George questioned, handing a customer his change and turning to face Harry.

“No,” he answered, straightening up again, a medium sized bag in his hand.

“Oy! What do you want that for?” George inquired motioning to the bag in Harry’s hand.

He smiled. “I’ve just been to pick up Hermione’s gift,” he said quietly, holding up the small green bag in his hand. “I need to disguise it in something.”

“Clever,” George admitted, turning to the next customer, who was becoming impatient at the lack of attention being paid to her.

“Yeah, well, she’s a clever one; I can’t take any chances,” Harry explained, tossing the E.J. Turner’s bag in the trash and slipping the velvet boxes into the vivid orange colored bag with three W’s that Weasley Wizarding Wheezes were known for.

“See mate, that’s the problem with dating one of the smart ones. Myself, I never had that problem,” George stated with a laugh.

“Watch yourself,” his wife called to him from across the store, where she was helping another customer.

George laughed again. “I love you,” he called back to her over the crowd and she smiled at him. “Every time, no matter how busy we are,” he muttered to Harry.

“Women always know when you are talking about them, brother,” Fred commiserated. “Always; you can never get anything past them.” The three men laughed at that, knowing that it was all too true.

“Well, I need to be getting back to ‘Mione, thanks for this,” Harry said holding up the bag in his hand as he slipped around the corner again.

George nodded. “Anytime mate,” he called as Harry ducked back out of the store.

Down the street and around the corner again, he got back to Flourish and Blotts, just as the half-hour mark passed. Well I did say I might be a little later, he thought as he began to search for her among the shelves.

He found her, tucked in a back corner, scanning the shelves for a book. Figures, Harry thought stepping up next to her, what else would she be doing, standing around twirling her thumbs. “Find anything interesting?” he asked glancing over her shoulder.

“Quite a few things, I found the books you wanted, plus an absolutely fascinating book about the history of magic in China. I’ve been looking for it for ages. A customer told me about it and I’ve been dying to read it ever since.”

Harry smiled. “Well then, I’m glad you found it. So what are you looking for now?”

“Nothing in particular,” she informed him with a shrug. “Why? Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, not to mention I said I’d be back to pick Lily and James up at two, and it’s already half past one.”

“All right, let’s get going,” she said turning to face him. When she caught sight of the bag in his hand her face visibly fell. “You’ve been at the joke shop.”

“Only for the bag,” he explained. “I couldn’t have you seeing where I actually went, could I?” She brightened up instantly. “What kind of man do you take me for? Thinking I would buy you something from the joke shop.” he teased, linking their arms and steering her towards the front.

Harry paid for the books quickly, since there wasn’t a line, and the two of them apparated to Number Twelve with just enough time to stash the gifts out of sight. Hermione tucked the twin’s gifts into her wardrobe while Harry snuck away to hide her gift somewhere in the house.

At five to two, they apparated to Ginny and Daniel’s front garden. The moment they appeared, they could hear a commotion coming from the front room. As they stepped up the garden path they could hear Daniel telling Lily and James to settle down, that their parents would be around any minute now. Surprisingly, the twins settled down. But the quiet was followed by the sound of running about, and Harry gave Hermione a dark look.

“Are you as worried as I am?” he questioned.

Hermione nodded. “Yeah, actually I am. But then again, you are the one who knows the big surprise they’re planning.”

Harry shrugged; the only surprise he knew about was that the twins had planned to go shopping for their mother’s Christmas gift that day. Daniel had promised he’d take them into Hogsmeade and help them search for the perfect gift. He knew nothing about what was going on in that house. Cautiously, Harry knocked on the door, rather afraid of what might meet him on the other side.

It was pulled open relatively quickly by Ginny, who smiled at them and nodded towards the front room. Carefully they stepped into the front hall and around the corner into the room. Almost immediately, they were tackled. Knocked to the ground as Lily jumped onto Harry and James leapt at Hermione.

Taken completely by surprise, Harry’s first reaction was to laugh. Once he was laughing, Hermione started to laugh and then the twins joined in. From somewhere above them, they saw a flash go off. Looking up they saw Daniel with a camera, smiling broadly as he wrapped his arm around Ginny’s back.

“Quite a lovely family you make,” he commented. “Very happy.”

AN: I honestly don’t think I can tell you lot how amazing it feels to have this chapter up – and to know that I only have nine more chapters to write, since chapter 27 is already written and with my beta. It should be up soon. Onto the not so happy news, I’m not going to have a lot of free time between now and the middle of July to do any writing. You see, my family is planning to move across country around the 15th (I might actually be on the road, since we are driving, when Half-Blood Prince comes out), and basically between now and then I get to clean house, which is no easy task. We’ve lived in this house 25 years, and have gathered a lot of junk over the years. I will work on chapter 28 as often as I can, but I can’t promise it’ll be up anytime soon.

Oh and PS, I’d like to thank my two wonderful betas Jen and Rosali, I’ve often thanked them in email, but now I’m going to thank them here

paochi_cute – There won’t be a sequel to this one, I’ve decided, I love this story, but I truly feel that it wraps up nicely. I like the way it ends and it feels complete to me. I might do a companion story about Ron and Luna though, that might be possible. CrimsonTemplar - : ) Lady Starlight – yes, though I don’t have children myself I’ve heard from a friend how things change and thought it was very Hermione to worry about that – I’m glad you found her insecurities realistic Lajo1013 - : ) Austenlover – there will be more scenes like this, though they wont be in every chapter, that would spoil it tabitoo - : ) GPGA – : ) Anu – no, it’s the one month anniversary of their first date, I know it kinda goes quickly, but they actually have been dating for an entire month – well two after this chapter. And I plan on having the story be 36 chapters long, so only ten to go harryhermione731 – I don’t know about perfect, ‘cause I don’t know that my writing will ever be perfect, but I was trying to make it the best that I can and have it be something I was happy with Creepy Susie - : ) Mani12191 - : D sailor_girl - : ) Lady Celmer-Malfoy – thanks that really means a lot to me, especially since I am working on a book or at least I’m working on the details and will start writing it once EYEW is finished diggingupophelia – thank you, I tried to make it sweet and tender, I hope I succeeded Luna_Tyler - : ) Tomlove01 - : ) hernndzzz – I’d say they definitely deserve some nookie, they’ve been through so much Shaliza - : ) pottergranny - : ) Shellbell18 - : ) DreamAngel - : ) greenevans - : ) Lee Anne - : ) ginnymalfoy21 - : ) overdrive - : ) div - : ) Americangirl2001 - : ) sunnihun - : ) Green_Eye_Sparkle16 – that’s all right, a review is a review late or not, I’m glad you enjoyed it strider – sorry it took so long to update Misadies1 – no I didn’t have writers block, I was writing all the time, I just wasn’t happy with anything I wrote so I had to keep rewriting

27. All I Want For Christams is You

AN: So I've lost count of the number of times I've apologized to you guys for chapters taking so long. I really am sorry though, even though this time it was way out of my control. Moving was crazy, but now it's over and done with and I have all the time in the world to write, which is what has given me the opportunity to finish chapter 28 and most of 29. Sorry about this one not being as well edited as the chapters have been in the recent past. My second beta is really busy so she hasn't actually given me chapter 27 back, but I just couldn't wait any longer - couldn't make you guys wait any longer, just wouldn't be fair. Well I'll repost the chapter when I have the well edited version, for now I hope you enjoy the version I have. Just one last note, since I will now have to do this on all the stories I post from now on I'm practicing:

**clears throat** This story does not follow book six. Not because I didn't like book six, I really loved it, but because I got the idea before book six was published. I'm not a shipper, so I don't care what ships happen in the books, these stories are written for my entertainment and the entertainment of others and I hope you all can still enjoy my stories even knowing how I feel about the new book.

Now, let's get on with things:

Chapter Twenty-Seven: All I Want for Christmas is You

Hermione awoke Christmas morning to soft kisses on the back of her neck. She looked over her shoulder and saw Harry's emerald eyes sparkling at her from under his wild black hair. His lips traveled quickly across her check to the corner of her mouth. She smiled at him as she turned herself around in his arms. He pressed his body heatedly against hers, kissing her desperately. She moaned happily, rolling onto her back, and bringing him with her.

“Happy Christmas, beautiful,” Harry breathed, trying to catch his breath so he could kiss her again.

“Happy Christmas, love,” was all she managed to say before he started kissing her again; not that it bothered her.

His hand had just started to run along the soft flesh of her inner thigh when they heard their door bang open. They jumped apart, as if they were apposing magnets, to opposite sides of their large bed, trying to look innocent and calm as they turned towards the doorway.

The twins were standing there, still in their pajamas, their dressing gowns thrown on in haste, their cheeks flush with excitement. “Happy Christmas,” they called as the sprinted across the room and bounded onto their parent's bed.

“Happy Christmas,” Hermione said with a laugh as Lily hugged her and Harry started to tickle James furiously. “Don't you think it's a bit early?” She asked, stroking Lily's hair softly.

Lily shook her head, “Not for Christmas,” she explained.

“Oh how silly of me,” Hermione said, looking to Harry, “of course seven in the morning isn't too early for Christmas.”

He shook his head in mock shame, “You really should know better.” She caught his eye and they shared a silent laugh.

“So can we go down and open our gifts?” James asked still laughing from Harry's tickles.

“All right you two, get downstairs, we'll be down in a minute,” Hermione said and the children bounded out of the room as quickly as they had entered it. “In the next life we're not having kids, they always interrupt,” she joked kissing Harry softly before pushing the comforters off herself and crawling out of the bed.

“I'll try and work on that for you,” he said, propping himself up on his arms and watching her rummage through her wardrobe. “What are you looking for?”

“Your Christmas gift,” she answered simply.

“I don't need a gift - I have you.”

“Good to know I'm enough for you, but all the same,” said turning back to him, a long thin gift in her arms.

“Where in the world have you been keeping that?” Harry asked, he'd been in her wardrobe the night before getting the twin's gifts out from their hiding place, he was sure if his gift had been in there he would have at least noticed it.

“Why, have you been peeking?”

“No,” he insisted innocently, “just curious.”

“Well, truth be told I only put it together last night and you where so preoccupied last night that you didn't have time to look.”

“Gee, I wonder what could have possible got me so distracted,” he asked sarcastically, watching her crawl back into the bed. She laughed, handing him the gift and letting her fingers tickle teasingly along his inner thigh.

“I don't know what you're talking about,” she insisted, mimicking his innocent tone, and settling herself on her knees over his lap. “Now open it,” she commanded. Harry looked at her suspiciously as he pulled off the lid of the large flat box.

“What's this?” He asked pulling out the card, which turned out to be an old piece of parchment.

“The card, so just read it,” she said impatiently, “it's fairly self explanatory.” He unfolded the parchment and found it was a letter to him from Hermione.

He looked from the parchment to Hermione to the parchment again, “What have you written me a letter for?” He questioned a bit bewildered.

“Just read it,” she demanded again. “I wrote that to you years ago, so just read it or I can read it to you if you're going to be difficult.”

He smiled cheekily; “Read it to me then.”

She shook her head, taking the parchment from him, “Sometimes, I don't know why I put up with you.”

“If you didn't want to read it you shouldn't have offered,” he pointed out, that cheeky smile still plastered on his face.

“All right, fine, I'll read it to you: Dear Harry, it begins.”

“I could guess as much,” he joked, squeezing her legs lightly.

She cast him in a dangerous stare, “May I continue please?”

“Be my guest,” he said politely, enjoying this despite her annoyance.

“Dear Harry, it begins, there's something I have to tell you, only I don't know how to say it. It's something I don't know how to convey to you. I've always cared for you, since you and Ron saved me from that troll; I don't know how anyone could know you the way I have and not care for you. But as of late my care for you has grown - has changed. I brushed it aside at first; sure it was just teenage attraction. You were there for me when Viktor broke my heart. I told myself it was just a natural attachment; you had been there for me when the rest of my world fell away, when my parents were murdered.

“But those things have passed, and my feelings for you haven't. I know even as I write this that our relationship can never be what it was. You see I'm carrying your child and I'm running away. You'll be happy, now that you have your entire life in front of you. And I'll, well I'll always be your friend. You see, I love you Harry Potter, more then I know how to express.”

Hermione lowered the parchment and found Harry staring at her, his eyes wide with shock and confusion, “When did you write that?” He questioned, taking the parchment back from her and scanning it with his own eyes, as if he wanted to make sure it was real.

“On the plane ride to America,” she explained, “Harry, love, are you all right?”

“I thought you said you never thought about us.”

“I blocked it out, I guess, I didn't even remember writing this letter,” she explained, “until I found it in my old journal a few weeks ago. I wrote it to get you out of my system because I thought nothing could ever happen between us.”

“You wanted to get me out of your system?” He asked sounding hurt.

“The biggest mistake I ever made,” she said leaning in and kissing him.

“I won't argue with that,” he muttered stubbornly.

“So look at your gift already,” she instructed. He smiled at her and pushed aside the tissue paper to reveal a framed photo of Harry, Hermione, and the twins, the one Daniel had take of them two weeks ago. The four of them were on the floor of their friend's front room, laughing like mad, and every once in a while when the twins weren't looking, Photo-Harry would sneak a glance at Photo-Hermione and the wild smile on his face would broaden. “It's our family,” Harry commented, pulling the photo out of the box to get a closer look.

“It's our family,” she echoed as he continued scanning the photo.

“Have I ever told you how happy you've made me,” he questioned, looking back up to her, “by giving me our family and simply loving me?”

She smiled, “I've only ever tried to make you as happy as you make me.”

“You are such sap, do you know that?” He asked after kissing her softly; they both laughed. “So let me get your gift for you.”

“Yes please,” she said smiling and moving off of his lap. He returned her smile as he rolled to his side and reached for something in his bedside table. He turned back over with his hands cupped together.

“Turn around,” he said gently and she obliged. She was completely taken by surprise when a bright purple stone dropped down in front of her eyes.

“Oh Harry, it's beautiful,” she exclaimed as Harry clasped the necklace closed. She couldn't stop smiling. “You didn't have to get me something like this,” she insisted, turning back towards him, though she was very glad he had. She'd deeply hoped he'd got her something fun and frivolous and made a mental note to thank him properly that night once the twins were asleep.

“But I wanted to, I love you `Mione and I wanted to get you something as beautiful as you are. I don't think I quite managed, but it is close.”

“Speaking of being a sap,” she teased, kissing Harry gently. His arm wrapped around her waist and the kissing intensified as he leaned back onto the bed, bringing her back with him. Her hands were just making their way to the waistband of his boxers, tugging lightly, when they were interrupted again.

“Mum! Dad!” James called from downstairs where they were impatiently waiting.

“We're coming!” Hermione called back, pulling her face away from Harry's reluctantly.

He groaned as she climbed off him, “I see what you mean about interruptions.”

“Come on,” Hermione said, crawling down the bed, giving Harry a nice, if not unintentional, look at her arse. She slipped off the end of the bed and pulled her dressing gown on over her pajamas.

“All right I'm getting up,” he grumbled, climbing out of bed and pulled on the dressing gown she was holding out to him. She could tell he was exhausted, he'd never been a morning person and they hadn't exactly slept the night before.

She took his hand and squeezed it lightly, “at least we don't have to get up alone.”

“True, not that you look your best first thing in the morning,” he joked.

“You are just in a mood today aren't you?” She questioned with a laugh.

He shrugged, “I'm not the nicest person when I'm awakened at seven in the morning,” he said putting on a grumpy voice and face.

“If I remember correctly,” she began slowly, stopping in the middle of the hall and turning to him, “you were awake before I was; in fact you're the one who woke me up,” she accused poking him in the chest a bit harder then she meant to.

“Let me put it another way, I'm not the nicest of people when I'm awake at seven in the morning and I don't get to -” But he didn't get to finish his sentence because she suddenly hit him sharply in the abdomen. “Ow, what was that for?”

“We're not alone,” she whispered discreetly, nodding down the hallway to where James and Lily were waiting for them.

“Oh,” he said, catching sight of the twins, trying not to look embarrassed.

“When you don't get to what Dad?” James asked.

“When I um, when I don't get to um -” Harry stammered, having no idea what he could say to cover this up.

“When he doesn't get coffee first thing - your father is a bit of a caffeine junky I'm afraid.” Hermione said smoothly walking down the hall to where Lily and James were standing, showing no sign of embarrassment through he could see a faint tint to her cheeks.

“Oh,” James said though Lily was still surveying them skeptically.

“Well, come on into the drawing room.” Hermione said placing a hand on either of their backs and steering them through the door into the drawing room.

“I'm going to go make some coffee,” Harry said to Hermione as she walked through the doorway and the both smiled. “Go ahead and start without me.”

“No, we'll wait for you coffee only takes ten minutes,” Hermione called back to him and he heard both the kids moan in displeasure. “It won't take him long, besides the whole point of having the gifts down in the drawing room was so that we could open them as a family.”

“But he said we could start without him.” James protested looking longingly to the gifts resting under the tree.

“We are going to be nice and wait for your father,” Hermione said settling down onto the sofa. She tucked her feet up under herself and leaned her head back, pretending she was still asleep.

“Mum?” Lily asked softly stepping up next to the couch where Hermione's head was.

“Yes Lily.” Hermione said her eyes still closed.

“Why do you and Daddy sleep in the same bed?” Hermione opened her eyes slightly and considered this question. She wouldn't expect this question from her daughter at nine years of age, but Lily had always been observant and inquisitive. Lily also had the nasty habit of springing questions on you when you least expect them.

“Well, Lily,” Hermione began to answer, sitting up and looking to Lily, “your father and I sleep in the same bed because we love each other and like too be close to one another.”

“So you just sleep?” Lily asked, sounding somehow relieved.

“Yes,” Hermione answered, not feeling the need to explain sex to her nine-year-old.

“Oh, well that seems rather boring then,” Lily declared taking up her seat on the floor next to James, who was eyeing his gifts with wonder.

“Someday sweetheart you'll be in love and you'll understand,” Hermione said resting her head back again, praying that her Lily didn't understand anytime soon.

“What will she understand?” Harry asked coming into the room with a cup in either hand.

“Why you and Mum like to sleep together,” Lily explained simply. Harry nearly dropped the coffee onto the floor, luckily Hermione reached out a hand to steady him just in time.

“She means in the same bed.”

“Oh okay,” Harry said, shakily handing Hermione her coffee and stepping around the couch so he could sit next to her.

“What else would I mean?” Lily asked looking back to her mother and father suspiciously. They both looked at each other nervously - neither one of them had an answer for that.

“Why don't you two start opening your gifts?” Hermione suggested, anxious to steer the conversation away from the topic of sex. The change was well taken by James, who enthusiastically pulled his first gift into his lap and handing one to his sister. Lily looked from her mother to her father one last time before copying her brother.

“That was close,” Harry whispered as the twins tore into their gift, his mouth cleverly hidden behind his mug.

“Yes, much too close, we have to be careful around her,” Hermione whispered back as she repositioned herself on the sofa so she was leaning into Harry's side. He raised one arm up and wrapped it around her shoulder.

“Evidently,” Harry said smiling as James showed them the gift he had just unwrapped. It was the model of the galaxy.

“This is amazing,” James said spinning the globe slightly so he could look at it from different angles.

“Your father thought you would like that,” Hermione explained giving Harry the credit he deserved for finding such a perfect gift for James.

“Though listen here, you'll still have to take Astronomy.”

“Of course,” James said as if insulted by the idea that anyone would want to skive off astronomy.

“I'm just making sure you are clear on the rules,” Harry said; he was sure that wouldn't stop James from eventually skiving off a class or two, but he was at least going to make the rules clear.

“I like my gift as well Dad,” Lily said flipping through the first few pages of the new Hogwarts, A History.

“Well I thought that if you were anything like your mother, which I've come to learn you are, you would love that book and I noticed, by some miracle that you didn't already have it.”

“I've wanted to read it for ages,” Lily said turning back to the first page and beginning to read.

“So wait a bit more and finishing opening your gifts,” James said closing the book gently on his sister's fingers and handing her another package. Lily pulled her fingers out of the book's pages and started in on the next gift.

In the next ten minutes James and Lily had opened up the ten or so gifts they had been given by their parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents and had completely lost interest in the remaining gifts which, after all, weren't for them. James had his globe carefully balanced in his lap and was again scanning its depths. Lily had flipped open her Hogwarts: a History again and was already five pages in as Harry and Hermione opened the few packages that were for them. Harry's favorite gift by far was the collection of things the twins had made for him - drawings, stories, cards, and even a few photos they had taken since they had arrived in England. Hermione had organized it all in a hand-bound leather album and Harry absolutely loved it.

By half passed eight it was over and the drawing room was in complete disarray; wrapping paper, boxes, and gifts in every place imaginable. Hermione shuffled the twins off to their bedrooms, insisting they get ready, while she and Harry cleaned up. She loved the twins, but if they stayed in the drawing room they'd only play with their gifts and then they'd be in the way.

“Well, I would definitely say that this was a successful, first Christmas together,” Harry appraised standing in the middle of the mess and looking around.

“Yes,” Hermione agreed, bending down to pick up some of the gift-wrap that was strewn across the floor.

“Hey, I'll do this you go down and get breakfast going,” he insisted, sweeping the paper out of her reach with a wave of his hand.

“All right,” she said with a shrug, straightening up and turning to the door.

“'Mione,” he called after her, bringing her back into the room.

“Yes Harry?” She asked, leaning on the doorframe, her arms folded across her chest just like that fist night she and the twins had been at number twelve.

“May I make a request?”

“For breakfast?”

“Yes.”

“Sure, what do you want?”

“Other then you - waffles.”

“I'll work on the waffles, we'll see about the other,” Hermione said with a wink as she started out of the room again. She heard him grunt his approval as she headed down the kitchen stairs and she smiled again. He certainly had an avarice appetite, especially where she was concerned.

Twenty minutes later the twins and Harry joined Hermione in the kitchen; all three of them dressed and ready for the day. They had excellent timing; Hermione had just finished the waffles and sausage. She had had cut up some fruit to go with breakfast and once she had laid that down the three of them dove in.

“What's the rush?” Hermione asked slowly sipping her coffee; she was very much against giving herself a stomachache, something that didn't seem to concern Harry or the twins.

“Lily and James want to have a snowball fight after breakfast,” Harry explained, realizing that he was eating to fast and slowing down tremendously.

“Oh they do, do they?” Hermione asked, wondering how they would manage that with the small amount of snow outside.

“Yeah, you want to come with us Mum?” James asked.

“No, I think I'll stay inside where it's warm and dry, then when you get wet and cold you can come inside and I'll make some cocoa for you.”

“All right,” James said with a shrug; he had never understood why his mother didn't like to be outside all the time.

“Before we go outside Mum will you braid my hair?” Lily asked

“Of course Lily.”

“Is it true that they've never had a snowball fight before?” Harry asked Hermione; the twins had immediately jumped at the chance when he suggested a snowball fight, insisting they'd never had one before.

“Sadly it is. Where we lived, it didn't snow very much or very often.”

“No it didn't,” James confirmed bitterly, “it just rained; it rained all the time there.”

“I loved the rain,” Lily said with a smile, baiting her brother. Hermione, however, realized what Lily was doing and cut James off before he could even begin. She had been hearing the rain argument almost since they could talk and she didn't feel like hearing it again just then.

“So what else are you three going to do in the snow?” She asked and at once all thought of rain was forgotten.

“Well I wan to build a snowman and make a snow angel and...what else is there to do in snow?” Lily asked finishing her breakfast in record time.

“There is sledding, but there are no hills around here so that's out,” Hermione said, finishing what little of breakfast she wanted to eat and gathering up her plate and Lily's. “While you two finish eating I'll take Lily upstairs and do her hair.” Lily bounded out of her seat and was out the door before Hermione had even rounded the table. “But that doesn't mean you have to hurry,” Hermione clarified as Harry and James started racing to finish their meal, “slow down, digest, don't make yourself sick - the snows not going anywhere.”

“All right love, we'll slow down,” Harry reassured her, resting his fork for a minute and encouraging his son to do the same. Hermione smiled at them, but the second she was out the door she sighed and muttered - “boys” under her breath.

“Mum, are you coming!” Lily called from her room.

“Of course I am sweetheart!” Hermione called back and she quickened her pace - Lily was obviously not in the mood to be kept waiting; not that she ever was.

“So how are we doing this?” She asked.

“Can you do two,” Lily requested, taking a seat at her small vanity, “one on either side?”

“Of course, if that's what you want,” Hermione said running the brush through her daughter's wavy hair. “Are you enjoying Christmas this year?”

“Yes, I love the gift Daddy gave me, I've wanted to read that for so long,” Hermione smiled down at Lily.

“Why are you smiling Mum?” Lily asked catching sight of her mother's reflection in the mirror.

“You've just spent so much time with your father lately; all those things you get from him are coming out, like your love of being outdoors and flying. It's just nice to see that you still hold those traits you got from me, like your love of reading.”

“I could spend more time with you if you wanted me to,” Lily offered turning her head back slightly.

“Oh no, I'm not complaining,” Hermione assured her, turning Lily's head forward again and continuing to braid. “I think it's wonderful that you two are getting to spend time with your father, maybe I'm just a little lonely for the both of you sometimes.”

“But you still have Daddy.”

“I do still have him, that is true,” Hermione agreed with a smile, tying off the left braid and starting on the right one.

“Mum,” Lily started softly, “do you think you'd ever want to marry Daddy?”

“Yes,” Hermione admitted thoughtfully, “I think I would like that very much.” It was a wonderful thought, marrying Harry and making there family official. She hadn't really given it much thought, truth be told, assuming it would happen when the time was right.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a throat being cleared in the doorway. Hermione looked over to see Harry standing there, smiling and blushing slightly. He was fidgeting with the gloves in his hands, trying not to make eye contact with her - apparently he had heard her.

“I've just came up to tell you us boys are ready to go outside if Lily's ready.”

“I'm ready Daddy,” Lily declared grabbing her hat and gloves off her vanity table and walking excitedly over to her father.

“Okay Lily, go get your coat on, I'll be down in a minute,” Harry said nodding towards the door. Lily smiled and left the room. When Harry was sure Lily was downstairs he looked up and smiled at Hermione.

“How long were you standing there?” Hermione asked nervously.

“Long enough to hear the question, and your answer.”

“So you did hear that.”

“Yes, I did.”

“And?” She asked, sounding a bit more hopeful then she wanted to.

“And lets talk about this when I'm not about to take the kids outside.” Harry said crossing the room in a couple quick steps and kissing her lightly on the lips. “When we get back from dinner tonight, we'll talk about it. But I should get going - you sure you don't want to come with us?”

“Harry I'm not even dressed.”

“We could wait for you.”

“Dad!” James and Lily yelled impatiently from downstairs.

“Maybe we couldn't.”

“Go Harry - I'm going to get dressed, sit down in the drawing room and read. I haven't been able to do that for ages.”

“All right `Mione if you're sure,” he said, starting out the door and looking back at her.

“I'm sure,” she said waving him away in an effort to get him going. “Really Harry - enjoy your time with them. I never was much of one for snowball fights or even snow for that matter.”

“Okay, we'll probably be back in an hour,” Harry assured her stepping down the hallway and out of sight. Hermione smiled after him, thinking of the talk they were going to have later that night. If Harry felt the same way she did this could be the best Christmas of her entire life. Unable to stop smiling, she headed down to her bedroom and started to get ready for the day. She picked out her clothes, a long sleeve white shirt, a pair of tight jeans, and a very thick pair of socks to keep her feet warm, and took a quick shower.

Refreshed and dressed she threw one of Harry's old Weasley sweaters on; it was too cold without it, and headed down to the drawing room. She walked over to the front window and looked out. Harry and the twins could just be made out in the snow; they certainly appeared to be enjoying themselves. Turning from the window Hermione made her way over to the couch were Lily's new copy of Hogwarts a History sat with the rest of her gifts.

Curious, she flipped to the very back of the book and looked her name up in the index. There it was and next to it a fairly long list of pages in which her name appeared. Under her name it said: See Also: Philosophers Stone, Chamber of Secrets, The Triwizard Tournament, Muggle-borns, Head Girl, Prefects, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley. Wondering what the muggle-borns mention was about Hermione flipped to that page in the index and then to the corresponding page in the text. Her name jumped off the page to her almost immediately:

Hogwarts has always prided itself in its wide variety of students. Unlike some schools Hogwarts openly admits students from all muggle families, also known as muggle-borns, believing that any of magic skill should be allowed to learn the arts. In recent history one of Hogwarts most successful students was a muggle-born Witch named Hermione Granger. Hermione was a top level student in all her classes and -

But what other accomplishments the book listed Hermione didn't get to read because she was distracted by someone popping into the drawing room.

“Harry, leaves you alone for two minutes and you've got you're nose buried in a book,” an impatient female voice was saying. Hermione looked over to see Ginny standing there, one hand on her back and one on her prominent belly.

“Hi Ginny,” Hermione said happily, closing the book and turning to Ginny.

“What book are you reading anyway?” Ginny asked walking over to Hermione, waddling slightly. Hermione held up the book so Ginny could read the title and the second she saw what it was she rolled her eyes. “You're reading that again?”

“Well not exactly,” Hermione defended, “Harry got Lily the updated edition for Christmas and I got curious and looked myself up.”

“Are you mentioned?” Ginny asked, only lightly interested.

“Yes, several times.”

“Well, what do you expect?” Ginny asked, easing herself down onto the couch that wasn't covered in gifts, “You were part of the Golden Trio.”

“Oh Merlin don't call us that - I detest it when people call us that. We weren't a golden trio or any other kind of trio, we were just three friends. It's not like we intentionally got into everything that was happening at Hogwarts.”

“Yeah right Hermione, I was there too, you three couldn't keep your noses out of anything if you tried.”

“Anyway,” Hermione said putting the book back with the rest of Lily's gifts and walking over to Ginny.

“Merlin Hermione, how do you always look good without trying?” Ginny asked bitterly.

“What makes you think I didn't put hours of effort into the way I look?”

“Because I know you, you don't put work into the way you look and you don't have any time to either between Harry and the kids. Yet you still look amazing no matter what you do. Unlike me - I look like a whale. Even in black I'm the size of a house.”

“Ginny you look beautiful, you really do” Hermione assured her, looking over to Ginny and it was true. Her red hair was straight, not a hair out of place, and she was wearing black pants and a black long sleeve shirt.

“I feel miserable.” Ginny said, rubbing her stomach softly.

“Ginny you're nearly there and just think of the wonderful little baby you'll have when it's all over.”

“Oh I can't wait to be a mother - I'm beyond thrilled about that. It's just been really hard. Dan's not around all that much because of work and it's like he doesn't even support the pregnancy. Maybe if I felt I had his support I wouldn't feel so lousy all the time.”

“I thought you two were happy about this?” Hermione questioned turning towards Ginny and putting her hand supportively on Ginny's shoulder.

“We are - we are, but he works all the time and I don't get to see him a lot and I just feel like I'm going through this by myself. I know he's always worked a lot and I knew that when I married him, but I guess I though since we decided together we wanted to have a baby, maybe he would actually take more time off or even scale down his work to support me - us. Does that sound selfish?”

“No Ginny it doesn't, but have you talked to him about it at all - told him how you feel?”

“I've tried, but he always says he's tired or that he'll try and then he just doesn't. Last night when we were going to bed he told me that since the Healer said I'm at risk to go into early labor he had asked for vacation time. That way if I did go into early labor I wouldn't be alone. But this morning when I woke up I found this,” Ginny said holding out her wrist to reveal a diamond tennis bracelet, “which I know wasn't my original gift and a note that said and I quote `Gin, I'm really sorry, but I had to go in to work today. I hope you like your gift'.”

“He might have been called into to work,” Hermione offered, trying to sooth Ginny.

“Maybe, but the whole thing just feels so weird,” she explained, “he gives me this new expensive gift instead of the original one, which I loved by the way, and leaves me a note that is two lines long - it feels like he's trying to buy my forgiveness or acceptance for something he knows he's done wrong.”

“What was the original gift that you loved so much?”

Ginny smiled, remembering, “It was this hand bound journal that we found at an ancient store. He bought it for me so that I could write all my thoughts about the baby during it's early life.”

“That is so sweet,” Hermione cooed, before she could stop herself.

Ginny nodded, “And this is just so cold and impersonal.”

“So you woke up this morning and he just wasn't there?”

“Yes, after what he had said the night before. I just don't get it Hermione, we were so happy or maybe we weren't and I just let myself believe we were.”

“Ginny I don't know what to tell you - I think you need to talk to Daniel about this.” Ginny was about to reply when there was a laud crack and Ginny and Hermione looked up to see Daniel standing there.

“Gin, there you are. I was so worried when you didn't show up to my office this morning.”

“What are you talking about?” Ginny asked as Daniel helped her up off the couch.

“Well I thought if I left you that note you would get so mad at me you would come to work to yell at me and I'd surprise you with - well come to my office and you'll see.”

“So, you don't have to work today?”

“No, that was just bait for my surprise.”

“Oh,” Ginny said turning from Daniel to Hermione a look of total shock on her face. “Well Hermione, I guess we'll see you tonight at dinner.”

“Of course,” Hermione said smiling as the two of them disappeared. Hopefully what Ginny was saying was just her hormones overanalyzing the situation.

“'Mione,” Harry's voice called from the front door bringing Hermione out of her thoughts.

“Yes Harry?” She called back.

“They slaughtered me,” he laughed, his voice getting louder - obviously he was walking up the stairs.

“Oh really?” She asked getting off the couch and walking out into the hallway hopping to meet him halfway.

“Yeah, but it was two against one so really it was never going to be a fair fight,” he said coming to the top of the stairs and looking at her. He was absolutely soaked.

“I guess that's true,” she agreed with a laugh.

He smiled at her, “I just came in to check that you still didn't want to come out.”

“And to get away from the kids I'm sure,” she joked.

“Of course, they're -” Harry's words were cut short by Lily's panic filled voice calling up the stairs.

“Daddy! Daddy, come quick!” She was calling; Harry and Hermione shared a fearful look before Harry ran back down the stairs, Hermione right behind him.

Harry could see Lily standing at the front door as he came down into the front hall, she was pointing out across the yard to something. He got to the doorway, pulling Lily into the safety of the house, and looked out. Across the square, where Lily had been pointing, Harry saw a man. He was doubled over in pain, but still managing to walk somehow. His clothes were in tatters and he was covered in blood. It was all over what was left of his clothes, it covered his face, and it matted his white blond hair. Just as he realized who the man was Hermione came to the doorway and, comprehending things much quicker then he had, said in a terrified gasp:

“Malfoy.”

AN: Bu-bu-bum! But you know he wouldn't be Malfoy if he didn't make an entrance. Well anyway, chapter 28 is done and with my beta (hopefully she'll get both 27 and 28 to me soon) and chapter 29 is almost finished, then we only have 7 more after that

Lady Starlight - : ) eLa - thank you, and yes survive I did, not to happy in my new surroundings, but I guess that'll get better with time, and if it doesn't I can always move back Crimson Templar - : ), thanks hernndzzz - : ) pottergranny - yes wonderful and terrible is a good way of describing moving across country OrangeCrush - No I will never stop writing this story, some days it's the only thing that keeps me sane next to talking to my friend Trin diggingupophelia - yes she would, and he'd deserve it Tomlove01 - : ) Luna_Tyler - : ) Rebound - I read HBP, personally I loved it, but that's just me, and I promise I'll try to update more often now that the move is over paochi_cute - : ) muup - : ) Mani12191 - as you read the picture wasn't Hermione's present and I think I actually forgot to say what it was, and now I don't remember what it was supposed to be…stupid memory Shellbell18 - : ) PJ - : ) Misadies1 - I actually designed that ring on an engagement ring website and priced the ring that way, yeah it's a lot, but she is worth it sailor_girl - : ) GPGA - well he was going to propose, but stupid Malfoy just had to interrupt sertad - the commotion? I don't remember a commotion - god it's been so long I don't even remember parts of my own story, that's so sad harrypotterfan_308 - : ) Nari - well it's not entirely free of angst, what with Malfoy coming into the picture and all, but it's non-angsty for the main characters so that's something thanks though, I'm glad to hear you like it so much sannihun - unfortunately it took much longer then July, we didn't actually start across country till the middle of September and then that took a week, but now everything is settled and I'm free to write again Xavier687 - : ) jhh - : ) SANDY - : ) spacegal - yes of course I'm not done, when the story is done it will say the end and I promise I wont stop still I get there, it just might take a while dan_radcliffe's_girl_4_eva - : )

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28. Sanctuary

AN: So I've just heard back from my second beta, and we've decided to do things this way, I'm going to post chapter 28, like I did 27, so you guys don't have to wait forever and when she gets me the chapters well betaed I'll repost so you can read them all well edited if you'd like. And sorry to everyone who was worried about our dear James, he was fine I just forgot to mention that he was outside.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Sanctuary

Harry's legs began to move under him, carrying him across the square to James. All he wanted to do was to get his son to safety; then he would worry about Malfoy. Once James was in reach Harry grabbed him up and turned back. He hurried to the threshold of number twelve and passed James off to Hermione, saying, “Keep them inside, they shouldn't see this.”

Hermione nodded, putting James down and forcing him in behind her, “Be careful Harry,” she said before disappearing.

Harry watched Hermione go, then turned just in time to see Malfoy stagger and almost fall. Something terrible has happened, was all Harry could think as he made his way back across the square, otherwise Malfoy would never have returned to Grimmauld Place. Not after the fall-out they'd had six years ago.

Harry reached Malfoy's side just as the blonde made to fall again. Reacting just in time Harry caught hold of the blonde before he hit the ground.

Harry pulled Malfoy upright again, slipping the blonde's right arm over his own shoulders. He wrapped his arm around Malfoy's back, the injured man immediately made a noise of pain and Harry adjusted his arm. Judging by Malfoy's reaction to touch Harry guessed that some of the blonde's ribs were broken. Making a mental note to avoid touching Malfoy's side, Harry struggled forward. “Come on Malfoy,” Harry grunted trying to adjust the blonde, who felt like a dead weight at his side, “You were always a stubborn bastard, be stubborn now, don't give into whatever this is.”

“They're dead,” Malfoy muttered, “They killed them - I killed - all dead. Won't help them. My fault - couldn't stop - couldn't help - all dead.”

“Harry,” Hermione had reemerged at the doorway and was calling out to him, “What's going on?”

Harry grunted again, shifting Malfoy's weight once more, “I don't know. I think he's delusional, he's saying something about people being dead. And I think his ribs are broken.”

“What can I do?” She asked as Harry and Malfoy neared the door.

“Go up to our room; in the back corner of the wardrobe is a brown leather case. Get the blue flask from inside it - it's a strengthening solution. I'll force it down his throat if I have to, but I want him strong enough to tell us what happened.” She disappeared without further questioning. Harry continued to struggle with Malfoy as he pulled the weak blonde across the threshold of Number Twelve.

Harry kicked the door closed behind them and managed to drag Malfoy into the front room where he unceremoniously dropped the blonde onto the nearest couch. “God Malfoy, I never knew you weighed so much. Even carrying my cousin Dudley was easier then that and he was a boxing champion,” Harry muttered, looking out into the hallway for any sign of Hermione. Malfoy muttered painfully in response, opening his eyes and looking around the room in an unseeing way. “Well I suppose I wasn't as old and beat up then as I am now, but still, that's not saying much,” Harry continued to mutter, somehow feeling that is he baited Malfoy enough the blonde would snap out of whatever this was and start insulting back.

That didn't happen. Instead Malfoy's disjointed insistence that people were dead and that it was his fault started up again. But this time there were two words added that chilled Harry to the bone. Death Eaters - Malfoy was mumbling the name of Voldemort's followers under his breath. What did it mean? Had Malfoy gone mad or had Death Eaters done this to him. Was it possible? Could some of the Death Eaters have come back? Could Voldemort have come back, again, after all this time?

“Harry!” Hermione's voice called from the kitchen, cutting his fearful pondering short.

“Here `Mione,” he called back, stepping into the hallway again, “I've put him in the front room.” He saw her coming up the stairs levitating a tray in front of her.

“I've brought along some orange juice to put the solution in. Given the state he's in we need to give it to him slowly. If we make it to strong to fast we'll actually make him worse.”

“Right,” Harry said, mentally chiding himself for not remembering one of the basic rules for dealing with strengthening solution. “I forgot.”

“That's why I'm here,” Hermione said casually, obviously trying to keep her voice even. It was only to clear that she was as nervous about hearing Malfoy's tale as Harry was.

“Listen,” Harry began, stepping in front of the door to preventing her from going any further, “Before we go in there, I feel I should warn you. He's in a right state.”

“Harry, I appreciate your concern, but I'm not a child, I can handle seeing a bit of blood.”

He shook his head, “No that's not what I mean. He's saying things - things about Death Eaters. He seems to think they did this to him.” Harry credited his years of Quidditch to what he was able to do next. For when Hermione comprehended the words Death Eaters her concentration slipped and so did the tray she was levitation, but luckily Harry managed to grab the tray before it crashed onto the floor.

“Oh God,” Hermione gasped, in a high pitched voice full of panic, so unlike her own, paying no attention to the tray she'd almost dropped, “No!” She exclaimed firmly, “It can't be. They can't be back. He can't be back. Not now. Not again. You destroyed him. He can't be back.”

“Hermione, love, calm down. We don't know anything yet. I just wanted to warn you that Malfoy was talking about them.”

“But…Lily and James,” She said, their names barley a whisper on her lips, but Harry understood. They didn't just have each other to look out for anymore. Not that Harry had ever had just himself to look out for, but it was different with Lily and James.

“I know, but let's go in there and hear Malfoy's story before we recall the Order of the Phoenix.”

“Right,” Hermione agreed, stepping into the front room; Harry quickly followed her.

Malfoy was still on the couch where Harry had left him. Though he had managed to prop himself up so he was leaning over the arm rest. Harry wasted no time, he put the tray down on the coffee table, poured a safe amount of strengthening solution into the goblet Hermione had supplied, and topped the cup off with a healthy portion of juice. He then joined Malfoy on the couch. Harry tilted the blonde's head back to a safe angle, and while supporting Malfoy's head with his free hand, he forced the edge of the cup between Malfoy's slightly parted lips and began to pour.

Most of the mixture spilled from the corners of Malfoy's mouth; sloshing down to further soil his already ruined clothing. But some of it did make it into the blonde's throat and Harry could clearly see him swallowing. “Good, he's got some of it,” Harry reported to a very anxious Hermione who was hovering between the far couch and the coffee table. “Let's just hope he can keep it down.”

“Yes,” Hermione agreed, “Here Harry, give me the cup and I'll fill it up again,” she insisted, holding out her hand. Harry gave over the goblet willingly and waited as she replenished the mixture. This time Malfoy managed to swallow the majority of it and it was already having a positive affect on him. When the third batch of solution was offered Malfoy's hand grabbed for the goblet and his mouth opened wide; he got it all down that time.

Harry paused before giving the fourth cupful, giving Malfoy a chance to awaken further. His grey eyes were opened again, but it seemed this time he saw his surroundings. When his eyes fell on Harry they widened with recognition and he managed to choke out a single word, “Potter.” In their Hogwarts days the use of Harry's surname had been meant as an insult, but now it was said with desperate relief, “Potter - I tried - I had to come - they're dead - all dead.”

“Who's dead Malfoy?” Harry asked, his voice a forced sort of calmly, passing the goblet into Malfoy's extended hand, which was shaking slightly, “What's happened?”

Malfoy struggled with the goblet for a second, until he managed to get a firm grip. Then he drank deeply from it before he answered, seeking more strength before he plunged forward, “Pauline and Violette,” he explained quickly downing the rest of the mixture. Harry grimaced; those were the names of Malfoy's wife and five-year-old daughter.

“What happened?” Hermione asked softly, taking the goblet out of his hands.

Malfoy looked up at Hermione, clearly surprised to see her there, “It's a long story,” he admitted, touching his face gingerly, testing the severity of his injuries.

It was then that Harry noticed how stale and tight Malfoy's voice sounded, as if he hadn't used it for a very long time. Harry also noticed how pained his breathing was, but that was probably a result of his broken ribs. “Here,” Harry said, waving his want over Malfoy's injured side and saying the bone mending spell he had learned during the war.

“Thanks Potter,” Malfoy said, stretching a bit from side to side. His breathing still sounding a bit painful, but Harry was sure there was bruising that he didn't know how to fix.

“Have more solution - then tell us what happened,” Hermione insisted, handing Malfoy the goblet, which had now been filled for the fifth time. The blonde swallowed it down quickly and put the goblet on the coffee table.

“So much happened. It started back in September, the 15th, I remember because Pauline and I were celebrating, we'd just found out she was pregnant. That night, after we'd put Violette to bed and gone to sleep ourselves, they came. Death Eaters that the Ministry never managed to capture. They came in our room; they knew I was the one they'd have problems with so they got to me first. The Death Eaters cast a body bind on me while I was still sleeping, so I couldn't fight, then they got Pauline. They bound her like they bound me and dragged us both to Violette's room. We had to watch them tie her up.” He paused then, trying to hold back a great sob. His hand went up to cover his eyes, but they could already see tears sliding down his cheeks, “I couldn't do anything, I couldn't protect them.”

Hermione came around the coffee table, brushing away her own tears of sympathy, and wrapped Malfoy in a one armed hug of comfort. The blonde cried even harder then. All pretense forgotten he buried his face in the sleeve of Hermione's jumper and showed more emotion then either of them thought him capable of.

It took the grieving blonde a good fifteen minutes to pull himself back together. When he finally came out of Hermione's friendly embrace his face was flushed and his eyes were blood-shot. He muttered an apology to Hermione, but she brushed it off.

The three of them sat in silence for a moment before Harry felt it was safe to ask, “What happened after that?”

“After that, they took us to the Riddle House, the former home of Voldemort's father.”

“Before Voldemort killed him,” Harry added bitterly and Malfoy nodded.

“I only know that now. The night my family and I were take there we were blindfolded. I don't even know how we got there. But they took us into a dark room where two more Death Eaters were. They chained us up against a wall and left us blindfolded.”

“Did you know who any of the Death Eaters were?” Harry asked hopefully.

“At the time no, they were all wearing their cloaks. Whenever we weren't blindfolded they had their hoods down over their faces.”

“Right, why would they let you see them?” Harry asked rhetorically, than added. “So they've got you in the Riddle House, then what did they do?”

“For a while they did nothing, except taunt us. Put food a few feet away from us; let us know it was there, but that we couldn't eat it. Then they killed Pauline.”

“What!” Hermione gasped.

“She was sick, because they weren't feeding her and because of the baby. Her being sick eventually annoyed them, so they killed her - and our baby.” He paused once more and Harry and Hermione both thought, for a moment, that he was going to cry again. He didn't. He let out a low rumble of rage and jumped off the couch, taking Harry and Hermione completely by surprise. “They took my blindfold off for that,” he exclaimed bitterly, “They made me watch. They forced me to see the curse hitting her, to see her crumple lifelessly to the ground. They made Violette watch too, and I got to hear my little girl cry out for her mother. I can still hear those cries.”

The blonde was pacing quickly now; walking the distance between the wall and the window and back again; his anger apparent with every step. It seemed, now that his strength was replenished nothing could hold back the rage he was feeling. Harry and Hermione watched silently, fearfully, they didn't want to speak to soon and have his anger turned on them.

After a while he spoke again, “They set about the real torture after that. They would take Violette into another room and use the Cruciatus Curse on her. All I could do was listen to her, yelling for me, screaming in pain. Then they would come back to the room I was in, and her screams grew louder, and they'd taunt me; tell me I couldn't help her, that I could never help anyone. They got into my head, and they knew it. That's when they made me the offer.

“They asked about you,” he explained, stopping his pacing for a moment to look at Harry. “They asked me where they could find you; promised me they would stop hurting Violette if I just told them where you were. I knew they wouldn't stop, but still I wanted to tell them,” he admitted remorsefully, this time deliberately looking away from Harry, “I would have told them, if I could. I wouldn't have given it a second thought. But I couldn't, since I'm not you're Secret Keeper, and they kept hurting her.

“It went on and on. It never seemed to end. They would torture her for hours, repeating the same words all the time, `Tell us where Potter is and she can go free. Tell us where Potter is and your daughter's pain will end.' When they decided it was enough for the day they would bring her back into the room where I was and feed us, barley enough food and water to keep us alive.

“Eventually they killed Violette, when they realized that I wouldn't, couldn't, tell them what they wanted to know. And they forced me to watch her death the same way they forced me to watch Pauline's. Once she was gone they began using the Cruciatus Curse on me. For hours on end they would curse me, making me writhe in pain, and laughing at me.”

“How did you escape?” Hermione asked desperately, sounding a bit like a child being told a story.

“They let their guard down, they assumed I was broken, so they stopped being so careful. I waited until one of them was daft enough to unchain my hand. Once my hand was free I took his wand and I killed him. Then I killed the other four,” Malfoy told them coldly, showing no remorse. “I would have killed them with my bare hands if I'd had the strength. They took everything I had, I took their lives.”

“Who were they Malfoy?” Harry asked.

“Crabbe, Goyle, their fathers, and another I didn't recognize. He must have joined Voldemort after I defected.”

“But does that mean -” Hermione began, but then stop. It was obvious to Harry what she was about to ask, she wanted to know about Voldemort. If this meant he was out there somewhere, biding his time. Harry wanted to know that himself, but he wasn't able to say it either. The idea of what a yes answer would mean frightened him more then he would care to admit.

After a long moment, when her unfinished question seemed to hang in the air between them, Malfoy shook his head and said, “No.”

Hermione heaved a great sigh of relief, grabbing Harry shoulder, be Harry was not entirely convinced, “How do you know?” He asked, taking hold of the hand on his shoulder, “How can you be sure?”

“I heard them talking. They know he's dead, they said it themselves,” he told them, “They were looking to take his place. They decided that if they could kill you, do the one thing he never could, then nothing would stand in their way.”

Harry gave a hollow laugh, “Rather ambitious of them.”

“Crabbe and Goyle were dumb, but they were always ambitious.”

“You do realize what you have to do now, don't you Malfoy?” Hermione asked tentatively, stepping around the couch and walking over to him.

He looked her over carefully, trying to gage the seriousness of the question before saying, “No, Granger, what would you recommend I do now?”

Hermione frowned, she'd hopped he'd come to this conclusion already, “You have to go to the Ministry. You have to tell them what happened and admit to what you've done.”

Malfoy snorted humorlessly, “I'd forgotten how strange your sense of humor is.”

“I'm serious,” she insisted, “If you don't come forward and they find out it'll be worse. It'll seem like you were trying to hide.”

“You think I'm going to go to the Ministry?” He asked incredulously, “If the damn Ministry was worth its salt this never would have happened! If it and the bloody Aurors had done their jobs my family would never have been killed!”

“Calm down Malfoy!” Harry ordered, jumping off the couch. “Hermione was just making a suggestion.”

“Yes, just suggesting that I turn myself over to the Ministry so they can throw me into Azkaban for defending my family!”

“They won't throw you into Azkaban,” Hermione said.

“I used an Unforgivable Curse five times! There is nothing else to do with me but throw me in Azkaban!”

“But given the circumstances -”

“Circumstances don't matter Granger, not to these people. They've wanted to lock me up for years, just because of who my father was. I'm not about to offer myself up to them on a silver platter!”

“If you don't I'll do it for you!” Hermione insisted.

“You wouldn't dare.”

Hermione looked like she was on the verge of saying more, but Harry stopped her by grabbing hold of her wrist and pulling her quickly out of the room. “Harry what are you doing?” She demanded angrily, pulling her wrist out of his grasp.

“'Mione, you have to calm down,” he insisted, leading her down the hall so they wouldn't be overheard by Malfoy.

“How can I Harry? He's being so stubborn!”

“He's being Malfoy. He's just lost his family; his wife and his children.”

“I can't believe you're sticking up for him!”

Harry threw his arms up in disbelief, “I am not sticking up for him. I am asking you to give him a little time.”

“How much is a little?” She asked sounding a bit calmer, though her eyes were narrowed in suspicion.

“A week, two at most,” he said carefully. Her eyes softened a bit and she chewed softly on the corner of her bottom lip, considering what he had said.

She sighed, and her teeth relinquished her lip, “Fine,” she relented, “But if he doesn't I will do it for him.”

“I know you will,” Harry said kindly, “So, do you think you can be civil now?”

“Yes, if he is as well.”

“Good, because I was thinking, since you've always been better at healing spells then I have, you could try and patch him up while I go and check on the twins.”

She nodded, “Right, I can do that,” and she started across the hall. She was halfway to the door before she turned back around and exclaimed “Dinner!”

It took Harry a moment to understand what she meant, but when it finally clicked he groaned loudly. They were supposed to go to the Weasley family Christmas dinner that night. “I don't feel up to going to dinner,” he said, hopping she would be in the same mind set.

“Neither do I,” she admitted, “But what about the twins? They are so looking forward to it and its Christmas, we can't just not go.”

He shook his head, “I don't know, but we can't take him with us,” he said pointing his thumb in the direction of the front room.

“Merlin no,” Hermione agreed without hesitation, “that would be a disaster.”

“We could leave him here,” Harry began thoughtfully, “if we go to dinner the twins will be with us and we won't have to worry about the three of them crossing paths.”

“Okay, that sounds like a good plan. So, what are you going to tell the twins?”

He shrugged again, “No idea, I'll figure something out though, I'll have to.” She nodded, and for the briefest moment they started at each other, until she gave him a soft smile and turned back to the front room. Harry saw her take a deep, bracing breath, and pull open the door.

There was a silence once Hermione had entered the room, followed by Malfoy's would-be-calm voice asking, “Decided to turn me in?”

“No,” Harry heard Hermione answer stiffly, “Harry's talked me out of that - for now.”

Harry just managed to hear Malfoy's response of, “Well-done Saint Potter,” before he started up the stairs.

He reached the second floor landing and looked to James' room but found the door wide open, with no sign of James inside. He paused for a moment, listening to the house around him. He could hear Malfoy and Hermione bickering about something down in the front room, but he could also hear the ceiling creaking above him. The twins must have gone all the way to the top of the house, probably camped out in Lily's room. That was good, Harry decided, the farther they were from the front room the less chance they had of overhearing anything, especially when Malfoy and Hermione had been yelling.

Up on the third floor he found Lily and James in Lily's doorway, looking expectantly at him. Had they heard him coming or had they been attempting to eavesdrop the entire time?

“We heard you coming,” Lily said meekly, answering her father's unasked question. Her voice was shaking a bit and her green eyes were sparkling up at him, begging for understanding.

Harry was suddenly finding it very hard to speak. Looking between his children he was suddenly aware of how very small they were and how much of his past they didn't know. A lump appeared somewhere just below his Adam's apple and he felt his eyes getting wetter then they should be. He'd been struck just then by the thought of how he would feel, in Malfoy's place, losing his children. Harry swallowed hard, trying to dislodge the lump but it didn't want to budge. Willing his tears not to fall he swallowed again and this time it seemed to help. Finally, after swallowing a third time, he managed to say, in a would-be-cheerful voice, “I've just come to check on the two of you.”

“Dad, who is that man down in the front room?” James asked, “What's happened to him?”

“Yes Daddy, who is he? Why's he here?”

Harry motioned for them to step into Lily's room and the twins did so without hesitation. He took a deep breath, just as he'd seen Hermione do downstairs, and followed after them. Lily and James had perched themselves on the edge of Lily's bed. Harry closed the door behind himself and, with a well used wave of his wand, produced a chair for himself, since the one at Lily's vanity was much to small for him to sit in. He tucked his wand away before sitting himself down in front of them, sighing quietly as he went. He had no idea what to tell them. “That man is Draco Malfoy,” Harry said after a short pause, figuring that was the best place to start. “He was at school with your Mum and me; in our year, but belonging to a different house.”

“Was he your friend?” Lily asked hopefully, thinking that if he was a friend of her parents then he wasn't someone to be afraid of.

Harry nodded his head slightly, “For a time he was, towards the end of our time there and for a short time after that, but not so much recently.”

“Why not?”

“Let's just say it was a difference of opinion, but that's not important now.”

James seemed to hesitate before asking, “If he's not your friend why is he here?”

Harry didn't answer right away; he didn't know how to answer exactly. He knew he couldn't tell them the truth, at least not the whole truth and he didn't want to lie to them. “He's hurt, he needs help, so he came here,” Harry said, deciding that a vague version of the truth was his best option.

“But who hurt him? And why?” Lily asked.

“A group of men,” Harry said after a short time, “Who thought that Mal - Draco had information they wanted.”

“What sort of infor-” James began eagerly, but Harry stopped him.

“That's not important,” Harry insisted, “what's important is he didn't give it to them.”

There was a view minutes silence before Lily asked, “Will he stay here?”

Harry shrugged; he hadn't thought of that, but leave it to Hermione's daughter to be practical, “He might, I don't know.”

“Does that mean he'll be coming to dinner with us?” James asked.

“No, he won't be,” Hermione answered from the doorway, before Harry could. He and the twins turned to look at her and she smiled weakly back. “He needs to rest. Harry I was thinking you could give him a potion for a dreamless sleep.”

“Right, well I'll go take care of that,” Harry said, standing up, and with a quick wave of his wand the chair he'd been using disappeared. “If we're going to Christmas dinner, you two had best get ready,” he added to Lily and James as he crossed to the door, it was already two and they were due at the Weasley's by three for the late afternoon dinner. “I suspect that Grandma Molly would like to see you in those jumpers she gave you.”

“Okay,” Lily and James said together both getting off Lily's bed. James walked out the door quickly, a look of determined excitement on his face.

Guessing what that look meant Harry called after his son, “James, I want you to stay away from Draco. He's had a hard time and he needs to rest, so if you see him leave him alone.” Harry knew his guess was right when a very defeated sounding “Yes, Dad,” came from the hallway.

“So we're going to dinner,” Hermione affirmed as she and Harry stepped out of Lily's room, once Lily's door was closed.

Harry nodded, “For Lily and James.”

“And what about you and I, who don't want to go?” She asked walking down the hall towards their room.

“You and I,” Harry started, wrapping his arm over her shoulder, “are going to do what parents have done since the beginning of time. We are going to suck it up for the sake of our children.”

She smiled weakly at him and let her body melt into his as he pulled open their bedroom door; this position was making it hard to walk, but neither of them cared.

“I suppose that is the right thing to do. It won't be so bad, I know, but I just,” she sighed heavily, “just feel very drained.”

“I know the feeling,” Harry said reassuringly, he felt very much the same way. Hearing Malfoy's tale had taken him right back to the years when the threat of Voldemort and his Death Eaters had been around every corner. The thought of it had scared him more then he believed possible. When he had faced Voldemort he hadn't had Hermione or the twins to worry about, he'd fought because he had to, distancing himself a bit from the people he loved, to protect them and himself. But he couldn't do that again, he'd barley been able to push Hermione away when she was his friend, he certainly wouldn't be able to do it now that she was so much more.

Harry didn't realize he and Hermione had made it into their room, or even separated, until his side, the one Hermione had been attached to moments earlier, collided with the side-post of their bed. He inhaled sharply, creating a hissing sound and muttered, “Ow,” under his breath.

“Love, are you all right?” Hermione asked from behind him.

Messaging his sore side he turned around to face her, “Yeah, I'm fine, I was just - thinking,” he admitted, then countered with, “are you all right?”

She looked him over carefully, appraisingly, than flashed him another feeble smile before saying, “I'm fine, just drained like I said. You get cleaned up, and give Malfoy his potion; I'll see that the twins are ready in time.” Harry nodded and Hermione left the room. He didn't believe for a second that she was fine, but since he still had to change out of his clothes, get ready for lunch, and see to Malfoy; Harry decided he would push Hermione for the truth later.

Quickly, Harry shucked off his clothes, which had dried and stiffened a bit, cast a cleansing spell over himself and got dressed again. He was halfway out the door before he realized that he'd forgotten the potion for Malfoy. Doubling back he went to the rear of his wardrobe and pulled out an unopened bottle of potion. The Hogwarts nurse, Madame Pomfrey, had given it to Harry, who'd never been good at mixing potions on his own.

Potion in hand, Harry made his way down to Hermione's old bedroom on the second floor. Malfoy was standing at the side of the bed, his back to the door, gingerly pulling his tattered shirt over his arms. Once the shirt was off Harry could see large green and yellow bruises going from shoulder to shoulder.

Harry frowned, “I thought Hermione healed you,” he said.

Malfoy shrugged, “She did, I'm not bleeding anymore, but the bruises will linger.” Harry nodded; he would have known that, if he'd thought about it. Hermione isn't a qualified Healer, so her spells wouldn't be perfect. “Still,” Malfoy said turning around, “she's handy to have around. Though, I would guess, from the way you two look at each other, you don't have her here for your health.”

“Depends on your definition of for my health,” Harry said before he could stop himself and he was sure he saw Malfoy smirk.

“So who was the wiry kid I saw out in the hallway?” Malfoy asked, “The one leering at me from across the hall.”

“He's my son, and I'm fairly sure he wasn't leering at you.”

Malfoy apparently, was too shocked to argue over semantics, “Your son?” He asked, in disbelief.

“Yes, mine and Hermione's,” Harry explained, “his name is James and he has a twin sister named Lily.”

“Named for your parents I suppose, how unoriginal,” Malfoy muttered darkly. Harry was about to snap back, but then he saw that Malfoy's eyes were watering and Harry suddenly understood. He'd just lost his family, the last thing Malfoy wanted to do was hear about Harry's.

“Listen Potter,” Malfoy began, “I know things are bad between you and me. We ended our friendship on a sour note, but I can't go back to the Manor, I can't be in that house.”

“Stay here,” Harry offered, “No one can find you here. As for the other, I suppose it's all forgiven, you did what you had to do.”

“I never wanted to hurt her, you know,” Malfoy said quietly, almost too quietly to hear, “I loved her, but it was my duty.” He moved to sit on the side of the bed. “I love my wife - loved my wife and our daughter, I don't regret what I did, I just wish it could have been different.”

“I know,” Harry found himself admitting, without really wanting to. He'd been holding this grudge against Malfoy for so long, that he didn't even realize that the sensible part of him had already forgiven the blonde. “But, I'm not here to talk to you about that. I've come to give you a potion for a dreamless sleep. You need to rest, the potion should help.”

With a wave of his wand Harry conquered up a glass, poured out a serving of the potion that should let Malfoy sleep for at least twelve hours, and then passed the glass to Malfoy. The blonde took it with a grimace and, after raising it in mock toast to Harry, downed it, almost entirely, in one gulp. Malfoy only just handed the glass back to Harry when he fell back on the bed, already sleeping soundly.

Harry put the glass and the potion down on the bedside table, and quietly left the room, sealing the door as he went; insuring that, as long as Malfoy didn't try to come out of the room, the twins couldn't get in.

He found Hermione and the twins down in the front hall. Hermione was helping a resistant James into his jacket. “I just don't understand, why don't you want us to say anything?” James was asking.

Hermione sighed, shoving James' jacket resolutely over his shoulders, “I've told you,” her exasperated voice said as she handed James his gloves to put on, “this is supposed to be a nice family dinner, if you bring up Draco, it'll only make things very uncomfortable.”

“But why?” Lily asked, watching her brother making quite a show of putting on his gloves. “If he's your friend and he's Daddy's friend, then wouldn't he be a friend of the Weasley's as well.”

“No,” Harry answered before Hermione could, “They had a falling out with him years ago, just like your mother and I did. Theirs was worst in fact. Your mother's right, bringing him up will only upset them.” He took his jacket as Hermione offered it to him, and pulled it on, staring fixedly on his son, waiting for an answer.

“Fine, we won't say anything,” James relented stubbornly.

“Good, I'll keep you to that,” Harry promised sternly, pulling on his gloves and turning to Hermione, “ready?” He inquired.

“Ready,” she echoed, nodding her head and pulling her jacket tighter against her body.

“All right you two,” he said addressing the twins once more, “today we're going to apparate.” The twins reactions were mixed

James gave an excited, “Wow,” his eyes lighting up at the prospect. While Lily asked curiously, “Why can't we just use floo?”

“It's not that we can't, it's just that the network will be rather busy today,” Harry explained. “Everyone will be wanting to make floo calls to wish family members a Happy Christmas and it'll make traveling by floo a right mess.”

“So how do we do it?” James asked.

“You grab hold of my arm, get a very firm grip,” Harry instructed, “and Lily you do the same to your mother.” The twins quickly did as they were told. “Now, I would recommend you close your eyes, I seem to remember that making it a bit easier when I was first trying it.” The twins closed their eyes and the family of four easily apparated a little bit down the lane from The Burrow. The twins seemed to come out of it alright, but James showed a clear enthusiasm not to do that again anytime soon.

They reached the front lawn of The Burrow just as it began to snow lightly, so that by the time they reached the door they all had a light powdering of white on their shoulders and in their hair. Molly greeted them at the door, bright faced and smiling, she was truly at her best this day. She took their coats happily and hugged the twins especially tight when she saw they were wearing the jumpers she'd sent.

The Burrow was decorated, in all it usually splendor. There were festive wreaths and garlands hung on almost every wall and magic snow falling from the ceiling, much as it had in Diagon Alley. A large tree stood in one corner of the living room, where the Weasley family was currently congregated. It was sparkling with lights and strange ornaments that Molly proudly announced had been done for her by her grandchildren.

The Weasleys themselves was alive with noise and holiday cheer, all joyfully greeting the Potter family with a rather loud call of “Happy Christmas.” Even Olivia, who was asleep for most of dinner, seemed festive in a dress that looked like a mock-up of a Father Christmas costume. Angelina admitted, in a whisper to Harry, that she'd seen the dress in a muggle shop and couldn't resist buying it.

As it turned out Dinner was exactly the distraction Harry and Hermione needed; full of talk of babies and impending parenthood there was barley a moment to spare a thought for Malfoy. Fleur and Lauren were both showing now, Lauren slightly more then Fleur, and they were talking adamantly about every aspect of pregnancy and motherhood, while Bill, Fred, and Charlie were trying to impart fatherly knowledge on Fred. Halfway through dinner the pregnant women took it in turn to announce the sex of their babies, both were having girls; in fact Lauren was having two. “Though I'm sure that won't stop Bill and Fleur from trying again,” Harry said in an undertone to Hermione, once Fleur and Lauren were done with their announcements, causing Hermione to snort into her water.

Four hours and too much food later they wished everyone one last “Happy Christmas”, thanked Molly and Arthur for having them, and apparated home.

“It's even worse after you've eaten,” James moaned as Hermione led them back into the house.

Harry smiled, remembering the first time he'd apparated, “Don't worry James, you'll get used to it.”

“Or I'll travel by broomstick wherever I go,” James suggested.

Lily scoffed, “That's totally impractical, it would take you days to get most places.” James seemed like he was about to argue, but his words were cut off by a rather large yawn.

“All right you two get upstairs and start getting ready for bed,” Hermione instructed, helping Lily out of her coat as she gave a yawn identical to her brothers.

“But Mum, it's only seven o'clock,” James protested.

“Yes, and you were both up early and it's been a long day,” Hermione explained, as both the twins yawned again, “plus there's the fact that you're both yawning every ten seconds.” It took the twins yawning another five times for them to admit that they were tired, despite the early hour. So they shuffled off to bed and within half an hour were both sound asleep.

Once the twins were settled, Harry and Hermione headed up to bed themselves. Hermione was remarkably quiet; she changed and got herself ready for bed in silence, barley even mumbling a response when Harry asked if she was all right. He was just unbuttoning his shirt when he heard a soft gasp behind him. Harry turned to see Hermione standing at one side of the bed, her shoulders hunched, face buried in her hands as she silently cried.

“'Mione?” Harry questioned, stopping what he was doing and stepping across the room to Hermione. He placed a hand on the small of her back and she started to cry harder.

“What if it had been us?” Hermione gasped, her face still buried in her hands, “What if they'd come in here and taken the twins?”

“Oh, `Mione,” Harry said, turning her around so her face was resting on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her body into his and she fell into him, weeping louder then ever before.

“I-I-I just - just can't stop thinking about it,” she admitted as he rubbed soft circles against her back, trying to calm her.

“It wasn't us,” Harry whispered reassuringly, “It'll never be us, I won't let it.”

“I'm just being stupid, I know,” she said, voice faltering as she looked up at Harry. Her large brown eyes were ringed with red and her eyelashes were clinging together, wet with heavy tears. “But Harry, I was so scared when he was telling us about what happened.”

“You hid it well,” Harry joked trying to get her to laugh, it sort of worked. She stopped crying and managed to smile up at him for a fraction of a second, but soon her eyes were watering again and she had her face against his chest once more. “Hermione, I know how scared you are. I understand, but we don't have anything to worry about They're dead. He's dead. We're safe - the twins are safe.”

But nothing Harry said seemed to be soothing her at all. So he held her. He held her, firmly against his body, until her tears dried up and the sobbing stopped. He held her until she looked up at him; her eyes still bloodshot and her cheeks flushed, and told him she loved him. He repeated her words, kissing her softly on the forehead.

It wasn't until they were both settled in their bed, Hermione cradled reassuringly against Harry, that he remembered his plan to propose to her that night. It had involved candles and rose petals, classic romance, but now the time wasn't right. He brushed her hair aside and kissed her softly on the neck, promising himself that he would ask her the minute this business with Malfoy was behind them.

AN: All right, so I admit it - this chapter has been tainted by book six, but only a tiny bit. Nothing major, just the side along apparition thing, which I had already planned on using though I didn't know it had an official name or anything. Plus I took out a sentence that had the name of the person who died, even though they're not dead in this story, I just couldn't stand to see the name - not just yet

Ashley - they certainly don't seem to, everything is drama at their place, but I promise good days are coming. Mani12191 - : ), oh and the outline has changed again, it's up to 39 chapters - I swear it's never going to end, I get closer to finished and then I move the finish line, it's self punishment I tell you - just wish I knew what I'd done wrong h/hr4ever - : ) seleene_paris - : ) Lady Starlight - see what I mean by how mean I can be? H&H_love - : ) harry n hermione - as the title proclaims he wants sanctuary harperkidzmom - : ) ace929 - I'm sorry to say that my updates probably wont be coming out much faster then they have been, it takes me a while to write the chapters, I try to work faster, but sometimes the words just don't come - I will promise to try and get things out quicker. I'm glad you liked the story so much, hearing that makes me want to write more Harrys girl - : ) thanks for the understanding words PJ - I've agonized about how I'm going to answer your review probably since I got it, but finally I've decided. If that is what you need to believe I won't stop you from doing so. It doesn't change anything one way or another so it really makes no difference. And let me just assure you I would never have a character have sex at 14. GPGA - I love reading your reviews, I have to tell you that, always very encouraging. harryhermione731 - : ) swimchick1614 - : ) Misadies1 - : ) Little_Katie_Bug09 - Ginny mentioned the only note Daniel left her so I'm not sure what you mean put that question - as for Malfoy, he pops up because he's got horrible timing, ruining Harry's planes and everything Melissa Edelson - Babies come in their time, I promise you Luna_Tyler - ah so you get the Daniel joke, that's nice, I'm not sure many do. I hope you liked this tid-bit as much as the last one and thank you for all the nice encouraging words - they really mean a lot to me slayerrr - that's all right, I understand, but it is nice to hear for you Crimson Templar - : ) alayeni - I might manage to get the boots in there somewhere, I'm trying to work it in, but I'm not all to sure where it will fit. As for their jobs, yes they will both be employed eventually, not during the run of this story, but you will hear a bit about it during the epilogue tootles - : ) Austenlover - Daniel's surprise for Ginny was a romantic day away, one of the last they're likely to have before the baby comes

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29. Innoence and Guilt

AN: I swore I wouldn't let it go this long ever again, but things have been really busy for both my betas. Instead of waiting for them to get back to me I'm going to post this, self-edited (lord help us) and repost it when I get the edited version back from them. On the plus side I've got several chapters finished. So if it looks like I'm going to continue to not hear from my betas I'll self-edit those chapters and post them - hopefully I won't have to do that `cause time editing is time I'm not writing the few chapters that are left, but I'm not going to keep them from you since they are finished. Anyway - on with the chapter at hand. Oh and for some reason the chapter goes bold halfway through, I don't know why but I've tried everything I can think of to fix it and nothing's working so all I can say is sorry.

Innocence and Guilt

“Harry,” Hermione said softly, waking him with a gentle shake and a kiss on the cheek. He stirred reluctantly, brushing his hand across his cheek, chasing away the echo of her lips. She laughed and shook him again, “I know you're tired,” she said with a heavy understanding in her voice, “But Malfoy's been asking for you.”

“What does he want?” Harry grumbled, turning away from her. He'd spent six hours talking to Malfoy the night before and nothing had changed. The obstinate blonde still refused to see the logic in turning himself in. Nothing Harry said to Malfoy had any affect, and Harry was ready to give up.

Hermione sighed, “I don't know what he wants,” she confessed, a bit bitterly, “he refused, point-blank, to tell me anything.”

Harry groaned, “If he's getting me up four hours after I went to bed to tell me he's out of socks or something, I will kill him,” he muttered, pulling himself out of bed.

She smiled despite his snarling demeanor, “I seriously doubt he's out of socks, he's only been here three days.” He glared at her, shoving his glasses on his face and she laughed, “You're cute when you pout,” she informed him, cupping his face in her hands and kissing him tenderly.

“Just what I want to be, bloody cute,” he mumbled wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her body into his.

She kissed him gently again and smiled, running her hands down his bare chest, “It's a sexy kind of cute,” she clarified, moving a hand up to the tousle of hair that was forever hanging down over his forehead, “ If that makes it any better.”

“Much,” he admitted, sliding his hands down so they cupped her ass.

“I don't believe you, half asleep and you've only got one thing on your mind.”

He smiled, “I can't help it, and this is the level my brain functions at when I'm this tired, especially when I have someone so beautiful wake me up.”

“As flattering as you are, Malfoy has been asking for you, and Lily and James are waiting for me. I promised I'd show them some transfiguration. I thought it would be a good way of keeping them occupied, and they might learn something,” she explained with a proud smile, kissing him quickly on the cheek and pulling out of his embrace.

“Explain again why you want them to learn so much before they start school,” Harry requested, scratching his head lazily as he walked over to the wardrobe.

“I just don't want them in the dark when they get there,” Hermione explained, “I remember what that was like.”

He couldn't help but laugh, “You knew more then most of the teachers.”

“Only because I read every book. I was so afraid I was going to forget something - I was sure that I would fail everything and they'd make me leave.”

“How long did that last, five minutes?” He asked, hardly believing what he was hearing. With little to no exception Hermione knew everything when it came to school, she always had.

She gave an embarrassed smile, “I was nervous the entire first lesson, but then it became obvious -”

“That you knew more then the rest of us,” Harry cut in.

“That I had nothing to worry about,” she corrected him.

“`Mione, they are your kids they'll be miles ahead of everyone else. They already know more then I did when I started and they've got nearly two whole years before they get to Hogwarts.”

“You're right, maybe I should stop, but -”

“But nothing, they love learning from you. Go and show them all those things about transfiguration that I've already forgotten. I'll get dressed and see what Malfoy wants.” Hermione nodded, half-smiling, and turned to leave the room. Harry smiled after her, she was in much better spirits then she'd been in when Malfoy first came. He wasn't sure what had happened to make her so cheerful again, but whatever it was he was glad of it.

Twenty minutes later Harry was dressed and on his way to Malfoy's room. He was sure this was pointless, that Malfoy wouldn't have changed his mind, and was bitter about being awoken after so little sleep only to be told what he already knew. So when he reached Malfoy's door he didn't waste time knocking, he just pushed it open and stepped in.

He knew things were different when he saw the blonde sitting on the end of the bed, fully dressed, in clothes that Harry himself had retrieved for the blonde from Malfoy Manor, “I know this is your house, but isn't knocking still considered polite?”

“Sorry, I'm not very polite on four hours of sleep,” Harry said, giving the words a bitter emphasis.

“Not very friendly either,” Malfoy said with a hollow sort of laugh. Harry glared at him and his laughter quickly died. “You know me, always trying to make things light.”

Harry shook his head, “Always trying as I recall.”

“I have to do it,” Malfoy said, his tone changing sharply as he looked down into his hands, which were folded in his lap.

“No you don't,” Harry disagreed, missing Malfoy's change in tone, “if you're that bad at something you don't have to do it at all.”

Malfoy shook his head, “No Potter, I have to turn myself in.”

“Oh,” Harry said in recognition.

“I dreamt of her last night,” Malfoy said with a sigh, “of Pauline, it was a memory really, something she said to me on our wedding night. I didn't want to be with her, I was still holding on to my old life. She told me to let go of what I had lost, that life had to go on.”

Harry nodded, “very wise.”

“Yes, and very true,” Malfoy continued, “this is what I have to do to let my life go on. I have to or it will hang over me for the rest of my life.”

Harry smiled in spite of himself, “In that case I'll forgive you for waking me up so early,” he joked and Malfoy gave another of his hollow laughs.

“Very generous,” the blonde appraised, rising from the bed.

“I just have to tell Hermione that we are going, she'll want to know that you've changed your mind.”

Malfoy scoffed, “She'll want to know she was right.”

Harry laughed, “Oh, she already knows she right, she'll just be glad that you finally see it. Besides, I can't just leave without telling her.” Harry added starting towards the door. Malfoy shrugged and fell instep behind Harry.

Harry and Malfoy walked in on Hermione and the twins just as she was showing them how to turn animals into water goblets. Lily made a sound of surprise and admiration while James looked on skeptically.

“I just don't see the point,” James said once Hermione had turned Lily's owl Eros back into its natural form. “Who would want to change an animal into a cup? More over, when would there ever be a need? It's not as if wizards routinely get trapped on deserted islands with loads of drinking water and no cup to drink with.”

Lily rolled her eyes and scoffed, “James can't you ever just appreciate anything?”

“Not when it's this stupid. I mean, it's an impressive bit of magic, Mum, but it just seems pointless.”

“Not all magic serves a real need,” Hermione admitted smartly, “some, such as this, are just to show off.”

“Too true,” Harry agreed from the doorway. “Ron once found a spell which caused nose hairs to grow into strange shapes. That one certainly has no other purpose then to show off, not sure who you'd be impressing, but there you are. But I didn't mean to interrupt -”

“You didn't,” Hermione insisted, cutting across him.

“Yes I did,” Harry insisted in return, “and I didn't intend to so I won't stay long. I only came to tell you that we're going out.”

Hermione gave him questioning look, as if to say, “We're?” He tilted his head in Malfoy's direction by means of an answer and mouthed the words, “Ministry of Magic.”

“Oh, all right,” Hermione finally said, aware that her children were watching her closely.

“Will you play Gobstones with us when you get back?” James asked hopefully. He'd just started winning against his father when they played yesterday and he was anxious for his winning streak to continue.

“Er - we'll see James,” Harry answered hesitantly, “I don't know who long we'll be.” James frowned disappointedly, but nodded to show that he understood. Harry smiled at his son, waved to Lily and Hermione and left the room, heading in the direction of the kitchen.

Malfoy, realizing this immediately, asked, “How exactly are we getting to the Ministry?”

“Floo,” Harry answered, pulling open the door to the kitchen.

“I thought only Ministry employees could floo directly,” Malfoy said skeptically.

Harry gave a sort of none committal nod and smiled, “Technically that's true, however -”

“However you're Harry Potter,” Malfoy interrupted.

“Basically. One of the few offers the ministry made me that I actually accepted. I can even floo right into the Minister's office if I want to, not that I've ever felt the need.”

Malfoy nodded, “Who would, he's an idiot, better then Fudge though.”

“Much better then Fudge,” Harry agreed, “But then, a monkey with his wand and bowler hat would be better then Fudge.” Malfoy laughed, an echo of his once cheerful laugh finally making itself heard. Harry had to admit that it was rather nice to hear again. In the few years they had been friends, happy Malfoy had been fun to have around. It was oddly comforting to think that Malfoy might someday be back to his once cheerful self. Smiling to himself, Harry lit a fire in the kitchen hearth, threw a handful of sparkling powder into the flames and watched as they turned the familiar green color. He tucked his glasses into his pocket, stepped into the flames, and said clearly, “The Atrium, Ministry of Magic.”

Harry came out of one of The Atrium fireplaces ten minutes later, feeling overly dizzy and covered in soot; the downside of traveling by floo. He put his glasses back on and muttered a quick cleansing spell to free himself of dirt. Malfoy came out of the fireplace a few moments later, brushing soot out of his hair and off his clothing.

“I don't think they've cleaned theses fireplaces since we were first years,” Malfoy muttered brushing furiously at the grey and white flecks of ash sprinkled all over him.

Harry nodded his head in agreement, “Probably haven't, here let me do that,” Harry offered and without waiting for the blonde to accept cast a cleansing spell over him, removing the soot instantly. Malfoy's own wand had been snapped in two by the Death Eaters who kidnapped him and his family. Harry and Hermione had discovered it when they went to the Manor to retrieve some clothes for the blonde. They hadn't gone to get him a new one because Malfoy hadn't yet wanted to; he said he wasn't up for the post-holiday crowds of Diagon Alley.

“Let's just get this over with,” Malfoy said straightening out his shirt and heading towards the security desk.

Harry rolled his eyes, “You're welcome,” he said a tad bitterly, though he assumed that if he was in Malfoy's shoes he wouldn't be all that polite either. So he followed the blonde across the floor, stepping over the spot where The Fountain of Magical Brethren once stood. Harry remembered the ridicules fountain with a pang of sadness; it had been destroyed the night his godfather died. Realizing that, he realized how long it had been since he'd though of his godfather, who had meant so much in the two short years that Harry had known him. He couldn't imagine what Sirius would say if he could see Harry now, an adult with nearly school aged children. Harry supposed that his godfather would be proud of him, just as he supposed his parents would be proud of him, were they still alive.

This witch in peacock blue robes was already talking to Malfoy when Harry caught up. In fact, she was flirting with Malfoy, and as Harry moved closer, he realized that there was something very familiar about that witch.

“So where's your wife these days, Draco? Not unhappy at home I hope?” The witch said as Harry stepped up next to Malfoy; it was something about the tone of her voice that made Harry realize who the woman was.

“Mind what you say Parkinson,” Harry said to Malfoy's former girlfriend, Pansy Parkinson, before Malfoy himself had a chance to respond, “Don't talk about things you don't understand.”

Pansy turned her cold eyes on Harry, glaring at him while adopting her professional polite tone, “Why Mr. Potter, I don't believe the Minister is expecting you.”

“He isn't expecting me,” Harry said simply, “which is good because I'm not going to see him. Malfoy and I have some business in a different department.”

Pansy gave him an icy smile, “Well since you are a saint you don't have to surrender your wand to pass through.” She then turned her attention to Malfoy and her smile changed, she was, quite obviously, still harboring a flame for the blonde, “I will need to see your wand Draco.”

Malfoy gave a sort of involuntary shudder and said, “I don't have one to surrender. Mine was broken.” Pansy looked at him questioningly, but motioned for them both to go through to where the golden-gated lifts stood. They stepped around her desk, glad to be away from her. Once they were out of earshot, in an uncharacteristically empty lift, and on their way up to level two, Malfoy shuddered again, “How did that woman get a job in the Ministry of Magic?”

Harry shrugged, “Slept with someone?” he offered.

Malfoy laughed, “That would be about right for her,” he agreed.

“Well she certainly seems interested in your wand,” Harry commented, giving the word wand the same inappropriate inflection Pansy had.

Malfoy rolled his eyes, “Don't remind me, it was bad enough living through it the first time.”

The lift remained empty the entire time they were in it and, after their brief discussion of Pansy, the trip was made in silence. Malfoy seemed to be growing more nervous as the

lift continued to rise, so Harry followed his lead and stayed quiet. When the doors opened on the second floor and the cool clear female voice announced their arrival at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement Malfoy took a deep breath and stepped out into the hallway.

“You're doing the right thing you know,” Harry said stepping out of the lift behind him. “I know Paul Hastings, he's fair, he will listen to you.”

Malfoy nodded, “Yes,” he agreed, “he'll listen, and then chuck me into Azkaban.”

Harry nodded, “That was the positive attitude I was looking for. Let's continue on shall we.” And he started down the hall towards the office of the Head of Magical Law Enforcement.

Harry had never been to the office before, though he knew the office holder well. Paul Hastings, a muggle-born former Auror, had worked with Harry during the war, before his promotion. They weren't what you'd call friends; Hastings had always been a bit of a thorn in Harry's side, trying to get Harry to report his every movement to the Ministry before he made it, but Hastings was fair and perfect for the job he now held.

The came to a set of highly polished oak doors barring a small brass sign that read Head of Department. The doors were open slightly and, peeking in through the slightly opened door, the office looked empty, but when Harry knocked, just to be sure, a voice answered.

“Come in,” it called. Harry pushed the door fully open and stepped into the office, closely followed by Malfoy.

The office was as Harry would expect it to be, clean, almost sterile. The walls were bare save for one magic window, not a single personal affect, and the desk, which stood in the middle, held only pieces of parchment, official papers organized in stacks. There were no pictures of Hastings's wife or young daughter. Hastings himself was standing off to the side, next to a filing cabinet, leaning against it and looking out the window onto a vision of a bright countryside.

Hastings was much as Harry remembered him. Not overly tall, average height really, but able to make himself seem huge when he needed to. He had dark brown hair, graying a bit at the temples, and wore square glasses that fit his sharp personality. He let them stand quietly in the doorway for a full fifteen minutes before he turned to address them.

He gave a fraction of a smile when he saw Harry, but regained his usual stern business composure when he took his seat behind his desk, motioning for the two of them to take seats opposite him. “Harry, what brings you to my office this morning?”

“I'm not here for me,” Harry explained quickly, “my, er, friend, Draco Malfoy, has something he needs to report to you.”

“Simple legal complaints should be filed with the department where they can be sorted to the proper sub-department.” Hastings said, addressing Malfoy with trepidation, obviously well aware of the Malfoy family's reputation.

“There is nothing simple about this,” Malfoy explained, ignoring the discomfort etched on Hastings's face, “and it isn't a complaint, it's an admission of guilt. I killed five known Death Eaters, using the Avada Kedavra curse.”

Hastings paled, and his mouth fell slightly open, he hadn't been expecting to hear anything of the sort, “You did what?” He asked, sure that he hadn't heard correctly.

“Let me start from the beginning,” Malfoy said, and he retold the whole gruesome tale. He left out the details of why they kidnapped him and his family, looking only briefly at Harry when Hastings pushed him for further details. Malfoy managed to get through the story without tears, this second time through, though he did have to pause once or twice. At the end of it Hastings sat back in his chair, stunned into silence.

“So you see why we came directly to you?” Harry asked, breaking the silence.

Hastings nodded, “Yes, good of you to do so. Draco, Mr. Malfoy, if what you say is true, given the circumstances; I think we can overlook charging you. But I'm afraid you'll have to prove it.” He rose from his chair and started around the desk, “If you will follow me, Mr. Malfoy, I'd like to call on two of our top Aurors; they can escort you while you take me to this, Riddle House.”

“If it's all the same to you,” Malfoy said jumping out of his chair, “I'd like Potter, Harry, to come with us.” Hastings turned sharply and surveyed the two of them.

“Fine, but Harry, if it turns out your friend is lying to me you are not to fight us when we arrest him. If you do we will arrest you too.” Harry nodded to show he understood, and Hastings turned back towards the door. Malfoy and Harry followed after him, feeling much like pupils being led off to detention.

By the time they reached the hallway Hastings had already gathered his Aurors, the three of them were standing towards the lifts, waiting expectantly for Malfoy and Harry. “Do you think he summoned them telepathically?” Malfoy asked in a whisper to Harry.

“Probably motioned with his hand and they came running,” Harry whispered back.

“And you wanted to be one of this lot,” Malfoy pointed out.

“I'm beginning to see the error of my ways.”

Hastings introduced the two Aurors quickly as Michael Conner and Kyla McCourt and stepped into the lift. Michael was a tall, well built man, with bright blue eyes and blonde hair. Harry's first thought was he wouldn't want to cross this Auror in a fight. Kyla was nearly as tall as Michael, with green eyes, and long red hair that she tied back at the base of her neck. She smiled warmly at both of them before stepping into the lift after Hastings and Michael.

Malfoy looked sideways at Harry then to the lift, “So, this should be fun,” he whispered and followed after the others. Harry sighed and stepped into the lift just as the doors began to close.

On the way down to level six several interoffice memos joined them, circling over head, zipping in and back out as they needed. A number of Ministry employees also came and went, but they were to busy with their own comings and goings to notice the celebrity in the lift. Harry was glad of that, he didn't feel up to admirers, not that he ever did, but he especially didn't today. Hearing Malfoy's story again had killed any shred of a good mood he'd had.

The lift doors opened on the sixth level and Hastings pushed his way through them before the woman's voice had a chance to fully announce where they were. And he marched them across the floor to the portkey office.

They retrieved a portkey, an older bowler hat with a hole through the dome, from a woman named Kendra, who spoke with a thick cockney accent. The familiar tug behind the navel of the portkey sent them flying across the country till they landed somewhat on top of each other on the sweeping lawn behind the Riddle House. Harry was the first to pull himself off the ground, offering a hand to help Malfoy up once he was on his feet.

“I hate portkeys,” Michael commented, helping Kyla to her feet, leaving Hastings to fend for himself.

“No one likes them,” Kyla promised him, turning to look at the large manner house that obstructed most of the skyline.

“Voldemort really grew up here?” Michael asked, his hands coming to rest on his hips as he looked on the house in wonder.

“No,” Harry said quickly, “Voldemort's father grew up here, and retreated here when his marriage didn't work out.”

“Is that true?” Kyla asked, turning back to look at Harry.

Malfoy spoke before Harry could, “Potter, if we could skip the Voldemort history lesson for now. I know you're an expert, but I'd rather not linger here.”

“Right Malfoy,” Harry said apologetically, “wasn't thinking.”

“Mr. Malfoy,” Hastings began, staring up to the house as the other had done, “I'll let you take the lead.” Malfoy nodded and started towards the house. Harry followed after him quickly and the others fell in step behind them.

Harry had never been to the Riddle House before, though he had seen it a number of times in dreams. He quickly noticed it was in worst shape then it had been when he'd last dreamt about it. Shingles were falling from the roof now, and borders were slipping free from the siding. There was something sad about such a grand house falling into disrepair, but Harry didn't feel upset about it. All he felt was disdain for the family who had once called the manor home, and fury at the Death Eaters who had often occupied it.

They entered through the old back door, coming into the dust covered kitchen. The stench of death and decay filled the house, but there were clear signs that someone had been using the house not long ago. Chipped plates, which must have belonged to the Riddles when they were alive, stood here and there along the counter tops, most covered with molding food. There was also a track in the dust on the floor showing where the Death Eaters must have walked.

The first of the dead Death Eaters was just outside the kitchen door. He was laying face down, his legs half in the kitchen and half out, and there were two wands beside him. It was Vincent Crabbe, the one that had been in Malfoy and Harry's year at Hogwarts. Malfoy explained that he killed Crabbe last, just before he ran from the house, dropping the wand once he'd finished using it.

Michael casually kicked the discarded wand and looked to Hastings who gave a satisfied nod and instructed Malfoy to lead them on. Draco took them quickly across the floor of the hallway and into what was probably a fine sitting room in the manor's heyday. Malfoy walked to the wall closest to the door, stopping before a seemingly unremarkable bit of wall. He examined it closely before putting his palm flat against it and pushing.

Nothing appeared to be happening at first, but then a strange glow appeared. Radiating from Malfoy's hand, it spread quickly across the wall and then the wall fell away. “A Death Eater trick,” Malfoy explained, “Voldemort add a dungeon under the house, next to the wine cellar. Then hid it behind the false wall, I can open it because of who my father was.” While the others marveled at the magic, Malfoy and Harry moved on through the wall.

Seven shallow steps took them down into a dark corridor. There were dim lights, cast by magic, hovering close to the ceiling; small balls of eerie yellow light that flew around their heads like glowing insects. As Malfoy and Harry moved down the hall a number of the lights followed after them, while others stayed behind, hovering close to the stairs, as if they knew more people where on the way.

“This is where they kept you,” Harry said, though he wasn't sure why. Of course this was where the Malfoy's had been kept. It was well hidden and there was an ominous quality that clung to the very walls; nothing good had ever happened in this place.

“Yes,” Malfoy said, suddenly coming to a stop, “just in there.” He pointed to a door that stood open on the left side of the hall. Harry looked back at Malfoy, but it was clear that he had no intention of ever going back into that room.

“Why have we stopped?” Michael asked nearly walking into Malfoy as he caught up.

“Because we're here,” Kyla said, correctly interpreting the look on Harry's face. Michael still looked confused, but Kyla patted him lovingly on the shoulder.

Hastings came up behind them before Michael could say another word and after looking quickly into the room asked, “Was this where you were held?”

“Yes,” Malfoy said firmly.

“Which one is in there?” Hastings asked, looking back into the room, apparently staring at the body that was laying there.

Malfoy shook his head, “The one I didn't know; he was the one stupid enough to free my hands. The others knew me; they knew what I would do to them if I ever got free.”

Hastings nodded, “And the others?” he asked.

“Upstairs,” Malfoy told them and without waiting to be instructed started back down the hall. Leading them away from the place where so many evils had been perpetrated against his family. Once they were out of the basement the wall reappeared,
looking the same as any other panel of the wall.

Malfoy took them quickly up the stairs, turning left at the landing and walking them straight down the hall, to a door at the very end of the corridor which was open slightly. It was the room Voldemort had been in during Harry's dreams.

The last three men were dead here. The elder Crabbe and Goyle and the latter's son Gregory Goyle. The older two were on the floor; the third was sitting in a high-back chair. Malfoy explained that the two on the floor had tried to fight him, kill him before he could kill them, while Gregory, Malfoy's former friend, had stayed seated in his chair. “He didn't try to stop me, he didn't try to hide. He just sat and told me to do it. I told him I didn't need his permission.”

Hastings nodded, “The events seemed to have played out much the same as you described. I think we can forgo charging you; you were acting out of self-defense. Michael, Kyla, I'll leave you two to take care of the bodies,” and he disappeared with a loud crack.

Malfoy and Harry left the two Aurors to their work, slipping silently into the hallway. Harry expected Malfoy to want to leave immediately, now that their business was over, but Malfoy didn't appear ready to leave. Instead of heading towards the stairs he was looking at the other doors on the landing, looking at each of them as if searching for something.

“What are we looking for Malfoy?” Harry asked quietly, watching Malfoy's eyes shift from one door to the next. Malfoy didn't answer, his eyes fell on the door closest to them and he walked to it. He opened it and the sight that met his eyes made him shudder with sorrow.

The bodies of Malfoy's wife and daughter were lying in the corner of the room. Already decay made them physically unrecognizable, the only thing that distinguished them were the close they wore. The smaller body, Violette's, was dressed in a long purple nightgown, which was cut to ribbons, evidence of the torture she had endured. Her mother was wearing what was once a cream colored camisole, stained by her own decay.

“I couldn't stand to look for them when I escaped,” Malfoy said softly, his hand gripping the doorknob tightly, as if it was the only thing enabling him to stand.

“Why would they keep them like this?” Harry asked before he could stop himself.

“Because they were monsters!” Malfoy spat out, tears falling down his cheeks, evident grief contrasting sharply with the rage filling his voice. Harry wasn't sure what to do for the distraught blonde, if indeed there was anything to do. The blonde stood motionless in the doorway, studying the forms in the corner, tears falling silently from his eyes every few moments.

Malfoy was finally able to move when he heard Kyla and Michael coming out into the hallway. He ducted quickly into the room, and motioned for Harry to follow him. Harry did and, gagging on the stench. Once Harry was inside Malfoy closed the door quietly, obviously not wanting to attract the attention of the two Aurors. “I don't want them to see,” Malfoy explained, Harry wasn't sure why, but he didn't try to change the blonde's mind.

There was a silent moment or two while they listened to Kyla and Michael's footsteps out on the landing. Once they had passed, and it was clear the two Aurors had gone downstairs Harry thought it was safe to ask, “What do you want to do about…them?” he said, pointing into the corner, unable to make himself say their names.

“I don't know,” Malfoy admitted, “They should be taken to the family crypt, but that would mean going to Malfoy Manor.”

Harry nodded, “Would we have to go inside the Manor?”

“No, the crypt is behind the back gardens,” he said thoughtfully, walking slowly towards the corner where the bodies lay, “we could manage it,” he added, with a note of hopefulness in his voice.

“We will, they deserve a proper resting place,” Harry said, wondering how they were going to manage to transport the two of them across the country without access to the floo network.

“Shit,” Malfoy said suddenly, stepping back across the room, “the Aurors will need me to open the basement for them. I'll be right back.” He pulled open the door and disappeared through it. Harry could hear his footsteps falling hastily along the length of the landing and down the stairs. Harry lingered near the door when Malfoy was gone, feeling immensely uncomfortable. He'd never been fond of Pauline, though he knew her marriage to Malfoy wasn't her fault, and he was finding it hard not to think about all the things he hadn't liked about her while she was alive. It wasn't respectful, he knew that, but he couldn't seem to stop himself.

In his attempt to look anywhere but at the bodies of Malfoy's former wife and child, Harry saw that there was a dresser against the far wall. He hadn't noticed it before, his attention had natural been drawn elsewhere, but now that it had caught his eye he noticed something on top of it; something glittering in the weak sunlight that was feebly forcing its way through the grimy window.

Curiosity getting the better of him he stepped over to the dresser to examine the glittering objects more closely. Sitting on top of the fine chest of drawers was three gold rings and a small silver bracelet with a sort of plaque hanging between two of the links. It appeared to have something written on it, but it was caked it dust so he couldn't quite make it out. Harry picked it up gently; it looked so fragile he was afraid it would brake in his hand. Rubbing his thumb gently through the dust on the surface it reviled a name. The plaque bore the name Violette, engraved in delicate script; Malfoy's daughter. If the bracelet belonged to Violette, what was the chance the rings didn't belong to her mother or even her father? Not very good, Harry thought turning his attention to the rings; two broad bands and a third ring, narrower then the others and with three large diamonds set in it. The Malfoy's wedding bands and her engagement ring.

Malfoy reentered the room as this realization dawned on Harry. “They were just going to come up and look for me,” the blonde informed, walking across the room to Harry. “They're down their now, say they'll be done once the get the one in the dungeon. What have you got there?” Malfoy asked seeing the objects in Harry's hands. Harry quickly handed them over and watched as the blonde took in what he was seeing. He looked sad for a half second then smiled, slipping his ring onto his right ring finger, “I thought these were lost, thank you Harry.”

Malfoy froze, momentarily, realizing what he's said. It was the first time he'd used Harry's first name in nearly seven years. They'd gone back to using surnames, after several years of friendship, because of what had happened between them, the nasty fight they'd had, but now it seemed so pointless. “Think nothing of it, Draco,” Harry said and Draco nodded. “Do you have any idea how we're going to move them across the country?”

“Yes, lend us your wand and I'll do the spell, it's specially designed to move bodies directly to the Malfoy Crypt.” Harry nodded and handed his wand to the blonde. “Thanks,” Draco said, tucking his wife's rings and his daughter's bracelet into his pocket. “I'll send the bo - them, I'll send them ahead, and we can apparate after.” Draco raised Harry's wand out in front of him, at about waist height, made an odd slashing movement and said, very clearly, “trasferire.”

In a flash of purple light the bodies disappeared, leaving Harry and Draco alone in the room. Draco gave Harry his wand back quickly, saying, “There's an apparition point in the far garden, we added it a few years ago,” and he disapparated with a loud pop. Harry followed after him, appearing into the barren garden.

“I don't know how they got through the wards,” Draco said as Harry regained his sense of equilibrium. “None of them could have used the apparition points; they shouldn't have been able to get in.” He wasn't really speaking to Harry; he appeared to be talking to no one. Perhaps he was just saying it so it would be said, trying to free himself of some lingering guilt. But Draco moved away before Harry could ask, and Harry decided that that was probably best.

In the back wall of the garden there was a profound stone archway, with a wrought-iron gate. The Malfoy Crypt could be seen clearly thought the gates heavy bars. A low, long running building, the crypt was at lest three times as deep as it was wide, and appeared to be made out of dark grey marble. The door seemed to be made of a different more durable stone, with thick columns flanking it, and an arch over it proudly baring the name Malfoy in bold letters. The building was immaculately kept, no signs of over growth, though there were several trees towards the far end.

Draco led Harry through the gate to the quiet crypt. Harry hadn't been around such splendor often, certainly never when dealing with death. His parents were in simple graves, lying side by side for all eternity, in a cemetery near the site of the house they'd died in. As for the rest of Harry's family he didn't know much about them, but he seriously doubted there was a Potter family crypt on the grounds of a sprawling ancestral home. His family had never seemed the type somehow.

The air inside the stone mausoleum was surprisingly fresh. Harry had thought it would be stale, heavy, but as Draco explained there were special air ducts and ventilation spells. This was meant to be a place visited often by grieving family members, there was no point in making in unbearable. Before Harry could ask where Pauline and Violette were Draco showed him into a back room.

“The bodies come here to be prepared,” the blonde explained, opening the door. This room was cleaner then anything Harry had ever seen, even taking his Aunt Petunia's kitchen into consideration. There were three high marble tables taking up the floor space, two of which held Draco's former family, though now they looked nothing like the bodies they'd found in the Riddle House. Their physical forms had been renewed, presumably to the states they were before they were killed, and they were both dressed in pristine white-cotton gowns.

“They look like they're sleeping,” Harry exclaimed in amazement, walking nearer to Violette. He'd never seen her before and he marveled at how much she looked like her father. She had his same white-blonde hair, and same high cheekbones; Violette was very much a Malfoy.

“It's a glamour, a Malfoy must look their best, even in death,” Draco said, moving up next to Pauline. “Traditionally there would be a grand viewing, showing off the dead in all their glory, but I think we can skip over that part.”

“Do you need my wand again?” Harry asked, stepping back, “to move them?”

Draco shook his head, “No,” he said, his voice shaking a bit, “I want to move them by hand,” he explained running his hand across Pauline's forehead. “She looks so beautiful, I'd almost forgotten,” Draco said, pulling her rings out of his pocket. He slid them carefully onto her left ring finger and stroked the back of her hand softly with his thumb.

He picked her up carefully, one arm supporting her neck the other under her legs and carried her out of the room. Harry tried not to think of the way Pauline's body stayed stiff in Draco's arms, as he followed behind the blonde. It broke the illusion that she was only sleeping and brought back the images of her as she was in the Riddle House, images Harry never wanted to think of again.

As they went back into the main chamber Harry took note of the large number of tombs surrounding them. They were easy to overlook, only small bonze plaques marked the walls, identifying the Malfoy that lay behind it. On some of the more recent graves small items hung bellow the plaques, apparently incased in clear crystals. Harry guessed these were some effects of the dead that the family wished to be preserved.

Very suddenly the graves tapered off and instead of the walls being sprinkled with plaques they were full of holes; graves awaiting bodies. They looked like deep boxes in the walls, dark and foreboding. Harry watched on as Draco held his wife's body up and led it towards the tomb that would be hers. It was below the plaque that read Narcissa Malfoy, wife of Lucius mother of Draco, then her year of birth followed by her year of death, barley six years ago.

“Mother always loved you,” Draco said quietly as his wives body moved slowly into the grave, apparently pulled in by some magical force, “she was proud to have you for a daughter-in-law. I learned to love you; I have been honored to be your husband.” When her body was fully into the grave and lying peacefully, the wall formed over the hole, covering her from view. Once the wall was whole a small brass plaque appeared, identical to the ones marking every other tomb in the crypt, hers read much the same as her mother-in-law's. Pauline Malfoy, wife of Draco mother of Violette, 1983 - 2008.

Draco left before the plaque was fully formed. He went back to the preparation room to gather up the body of his daughter. Harry stayed behind, deciding he would give the blonde a moment alone. Draco returned five minutes later, Violette lying in his arms, the same stiff way her mother had. As Draco passed by Harry noticed that Violette's bracelet was back on her wrist.

“My little angel,” Draco whispered to his daughter, as he had to his wife, positioning her so whatever magic force laid them to rest could move her into the grave. “You were born of duty, but I loved you every second you existed. I'll keep loving you till I'm here next to your mother.” The wall closed over her as he spoke. It had taken much less time for her to be put in place since she was so much smaller then her mother. Once her plaque was in place Draco kissed the tips of his fingers and pressed them over her name, then repeated his actions, this time pressing his finger tips to his wife's name.

After a long silence Draco nodded his head, informing Harry that he was ready to leave and started down the long hallway. When they were outside again the sun was already setting, it had been a long day, though Harry wasn't entirely sure where the time had gone. Draco stopped under the Malfoy arch, stopping to stare out at the sinking sun and Harry stopped next to him.

“It wasn't self-defense,” Draco said after a while, “it was revenge.”

Harry nodded, “Yes, it was,” he agreed.

“I'll live with this the rest of my life with this.”

“Yes, you will, we all will,” Harry said thoughtfully. He was haunted by what he'd done nearly everyday of his life. It had been the right thing to do, the man he'd killed was a mass murder all consumed by the quest for immortality.

Draco turned to stare at Harry, “how do you live with it?”

“Hermione,” Harry answered simply, “having her in my life. She makes me feel - normal. Help me forget that I'm not. Ron's good to have around as well, tells me to sod off when I'm being overly sulky.”

“Oh brilliant,” Draco said darkly, “I'm sure Ron'd be willing to do that for me, any excuse to tell me to sod off.”

Harry shook his head, “he doesn't know you're living with us. None of them do.”

“So she doesn't…?” Draco began to ask, but he couldn't quite make himself say the name of his former girlfriend aloud.

“No,” Harry answered quickly, not needing to hear her name to know what he was talking about.

Draco sighed, “Do people even know we were missing?”

Harry shrugged, “They might, I don't -”

“Get the Prophet,” Draco finished, “I'd forgotten.”

“I hadn't heard anything about it until you showed up on my doorstep,” Harry elaborated, “but that doesn't mean no one knows.”

Draco nodded, then stepping away from the crypt he said, “Come on Harry, your family is waiting for you.”

“Yeah, right,” Harry said quickly, following Draco back to the apparition point. Harry disapparated first, appearing in the front hall of Number Twelve, just inside the front door. Draco appeared next to him a few minutes later, brushing at his shoulders where snowflakes were quickly turning into water droplets.

“I'm surprised I can apparate in,” Draco said honestly, “I would have thought, given everything, that I would have been taken off the list.”

“You were,” Harry promised, without a moment's hesitation, “I added you again once you'd showed up here, but you did keep me on your list.”

“Yeah,” Draco said with a shrug, not bothering to elaborate. Harry was about to ask why when Hermione appeared at the top of the kitchen stairs, looking a bit frantic.

She gave a sigh of relief at the sight of them standing there and rushed forward to hug Harry and kiss him quickly on the lips, “I though I'd heard someone apparate in. Where have you been? You've been gone all day,” Hermione said her voice sounding overstressed.

Harry stroked a hand over her hair, pushing it back off her face, “I'm sorry it took so long, but it isn't like we popped down to the pub for a drink. We went to the Ministry and Draco told his story, then we had to go to the Riddle House to prove that his story was true, and then we had to take care of some business at Malfoy Manor.”

“You went to Malfoy Manor?” Hermione asked, looking at Draco as if it was his fault for keeping Harry away so late.

“Yes,” Draco answered before Harry could, and he pushed passed the two of them and started up the stairs.

“When we were at the Riddle House we found Pauline and Violette's bodies,” Harry explained. “We took them to the Malfoy Crypt so they could have a proper burial.”

“Oh God,” Hermione said, her hands flying up to cover her mouth, it was the same look she always got when she was shocked by something. “They were still in that house?”

“Yes,” Harry answered, he didn't really want to tell Hermione the details, he didn't want to have to think of them again himself. Luckily she didn't press him for more; instead she pulled away from him and started towards the stairs.

“I should go apologize -”

Harry grabbed hold of her wrist to stop her, “Don't,” he said when she turned to face him; “he has some things he needs to sort out, leave him alone.”

“No,” she insisted, “I was rude, I didn't realize.”

“If you want to apologize to him do it next time you see him, he just buried his wife and child; he needs to be alone.”

Hermione relented nodding her head, “fine, I'll leave him alone. Well, do you want to come down for dinner?”

“Yes, I'd love that, I've not had anything all day,” he admitted, following her down the stairs. Harry could tell by the dishes still on the table that Lily and James had just finished eating.

“I was just cleaning up when I heard you two apparate,” Hermione explained as is she'd read his mind, walking around the table to the sideboard where the finished dinner still stood.

“Where are the twins?” Harry asked stifling a yawn as he sat down at the table.

“Up in James' room,” she told him turning around with a plate pilled high with meat and roasted potatoes. “They're playing chess,” she elaborated putting the plate down in front of him.

“It looks amazing `Mione, smells it too, thanks,” he said, picking up his fork and tucking in. She smiled, and started to clean up the dirty dishes that were still on the table. “That can wait,” Harry insisted between mouthfuls, “sit with me a minute.” She dropped the plates back onto the table and sat down across from him.

“Was it horrible?” She asked, after a few moments of watching Harry eat. He swallowed the mouthful he'd been eating and put his fork down.

He shrugged, “It was and it wasn't. I think finding their bodies was the best thing that could have happened. It gave Draco chance for some kind of closure; he got to burry them, to say a proper goodbye. I know if I was ever in his place, I would want that.”

“Yes, saying goodbye can be very important,” she agreed, giving her parents a funeral had meant a lot; it had given her a chance to deal with a lot of the pain of loosing them.

“Hermione,” Harry started, pushing his plate aside he reached across the table and took her hand. “I wan-” but Harry's next words were drowned out by the sound of a fire bursting to life in the hearth. The both turned to look down the table at the fireplace and saw Molly's head floating amongst the emerald green flames.

“Oh Harry, Hermione, I'm so glad I've caught the both of you,” Molly said quickly, “it's Ginny, she's have the baby.”

“What?” Hermione asked, getting up from the table and walking over to Molly.

“She's early, isn't she?” Harry asked.

“Yes, by a few weeks,” Molly answered.

“Well, what can we do?” Hermione asked, “I mean is there anything we can do?”

“That's why I'm here,” Molly explained, looking up so she could look Hermione in the eyes, “she's scared Hermione, she's asking for you.”

Hermione looked back to Harry, “Will you be all right?”

“Of course, go be with Ginny, I'll look after the twins.”

Hermione nodded, than turned back to Molly, “where is she? At her house?”

“Yes,” Molly said, “I'd better go, she's calling for me. Come as quick as you can,” and her head disappeared from the flames, which quickly burned out now that the floo call had ended.

“Tell the twins where I've gone?” Hermione asked, walking back over to Harry.

Harry nodded, “Of course,” he promised, standing up from the table and kissing her quickly, “now go to Ginny.”

“I'll come back as soon as I can,” she promised and, with a soft pop, she was gone.

And Maybe when you get back, Harry mused as he turned to the table and began cleaning up, I'll get a moment alone with you. Without interruption.

AN: Wouldn't that be nice, I hope it happens.

harryhermione731 - well somewhat, there is a little conflict in the next few chapters, then it's mostly back to fluffy Lady Starlight - Malfoy's story is awful, I'm not nice to him in this story, and no it wasn't likely that Harry's plan would go off the way he wanted, but it's all right he doesn't mind too much, and it will all come out in the end Misadies1 - well yes and no, but I'll let you cross that bridge when we come to it. You know I feel very sorry for Malfoy too, I'm very mean to him in this story, sorry again about the long wait, I really am trying to fix that alayneni - nope, no crazy Malfoy here just a bit sad Harrys girl - lol, James is a bit like his dad, that is true, but he's like his mum too so he's not likely to be too wild, plus you know really, he's more curious then a trouble maker Mani12191 - he is going to be in the story till the end, though he becomes less of a main character after the next two chapters. Yep the outline is only 39 chapters, and it's going to stay 39 chapters, `cause I only got five more to write. I could probably write more, but I like the way it wraps up so I think I'll just leave it the way it is Lojo1013 - well of course he finds love with someone else, I'm mean to him but I'm not so mean that I would make him be alone for the rest of his life faithful2thecall - yeah I gave this chapter to a friend of mine who had just finished book six and she got mad at me `cause she really wanted to hate Draco, but I made her feel sorry for him StrawberryDisaster - my lord, I'm impressed, I can't even read this story in one day, sheesh, it took me three days to read this chapter all the way through, but then I had a lot of people interrupting me kandy - : ) Arkron - hello, I'm glad you're liking it so much, hopefully I'll be able to update more rapidly CrimsonTemplor - yes I do have one or two surprises up my sleeves, not that they are necessarily happy surprises for those who get them, though Harry and Hermione don't get the bad ones. Don't worry the fluff and smuff is coming Austenlover - well the potion helps and then Hermione's healing spells help too GPGA - well the outline has expanded to 39 chapters, but it won't be changing anymore then that. There isn't too much darkness left in the story, just one more think that needs to be settled then we have the happy ending redneckbabe7 - I will finish it I promise, I don't know how long it will take me but I will finish it, I am determined to do that, at the very least kristen - I'm sorry, the suspense isn't supposed to kill you, but I have to admit it is very cool that you are that interest tasha - well it wasn't quite soon, but I hope the wait wasn't too bad redblue0115 - bah - I knew I forgot something, the really sad thing is, I don't remember anymore, I wrote the Christmas chapter so long ago I don't even remember. I think they got her a phoenix feather quill and very fancy ink, it was something like that, they bought it the day they stayed with Daniel and Ginny, when Harry and Hermione were buying the twins gifts weirder - wow, I have to tell you I was very surprised when I opened my hotmail and there were twenty reviews in my inbox. I always get excited when new readers start reviewing. Anyway, yeah I feel bad for Malfoy too, but don't worry thinks turn out happy for him, in the end.

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30. Birth and Betrayal

AN: So this probably won't become a regular thing, with my luck and everything, but I figure while I can I should give you guys fairly regular updates. You have waited for a long time with this story.

Chapter 30: Birth and Betrayal

Draco lay silently on his bed in number twelve Grimmauld Place looking at his hands, which were raised above his face, examining the gold band perched between his finger tips. His wedding ring. Former wedding ring, he corrected himself, he had to keep reminding himself that he wasn't married anymore. Though the memory of Pauline's death was still fresh in his mind he couldn't hold onto the fact that she was gone. Gone. Never coming back. He'd shared his life with her for seven years, though it hade been grudgingly at first, it was impossible to fathom that he'd never share anything with her again. Never wake up beside her, never hear her laugh, or cry.

Staring up at the ring he realized how much it had changed in the seven years he'd faithfully worn it on his left hand. Minor scratches cross-hatched the band, normal wear and tear for any ring, and there were a fair number of dings. He'd never notice any of the imperfections before, though he recognized at least one of the ding as one he'd put there by pulling the ring from his finger and hurling it across the room in a fit of rage.

That had happened on their honeymoon, and it didn't faze Pauline for a second. She marched across the room, retrieved it, and threw it back at him, telling him that being childish wouldn't change that they were married. It was the first time he'd seen her as more then just the women he had to marry, it was the first time he'd seen her as someone he might like, and he didn't take the ring off again, the entire length of their marriage.

It felt surreal to think of his marriage to Pauline in the past tense. He hadn't wanted to marry her; he only did it to appease his dying mother. Though he did enjoy the company of his new wife he spent the first months of their marriage trying everything he could to get out of it; everything, that is, that wouldn't break his mother's heart of land him in prison. But then Pauline had discovered she was pregnant, another part of his mother's dying wish, to see a grandchild before she was gone, and once there was a child to consider Draco had stopped looking for a way out.

Soon enough he stopped comparing his wife to the woman he'd lost. It didn't matter if she “measured up”, he cared for her anyway. He knew he loved her when their daughter was born, but he waited another month to say it, so she would know he meant it. Life had been amazing after that, a picture of domestic bliss he was sure no Malfoy had experienced before.

It's not right that it should be over so quickly, Draco thought to himself, sitting up and slipping the ring back onto his right hand. He couldn't part with it, nor could he return it to its former place on his left hand, neither felt right so he'd settled on moving it to his right hand. That way it was still close, but it no longer symbolized that he was married. Sighing sadly he got to his feet and walked across his room, pulling his dressing gown closed as he went. He wasn't concerned by modesty, the house was empty save for him, but the hallways always felt cold to him so he thought bundling up was a good idea.

Harry had taken Hermione out, in a long overdue celebration of the New Year and sent the twins off to the Burrow. Draco hadn't been in any mood to baby-sit the Potter children and he got the distinct impression that the job would not be offered to him any time soon. Not that he minded; he was finding being alone to be much easier then anything else these days.

Though, as much as he was enjoying the time to himself it felt odd to be completely alone in number twelve. He'd never before been alone in this house, not when he was awake anyway, and he couldn't shake the connection it held to the darker side of his family. He'd only known the house under Harry's ownership, it wasn't as if he'd ever come to visit his mother's aunt when he was a child, but all the same, he knew the house's history. It made him uneasy, but what other option did he have? Stay there and be uneasy about a history he had nothing to do with or return to Malfoy Manor and be haunted by what happened to his wife and child. Wasn't much of a choice really.

Draco started down the stairs, not really sure why he was doing it. He didn't need anything; he just didn't want to stay in his room any longer. He supposed he should go down to the kitchen and get something to eat; he wasn't hungry, but he hadn't eaten in nearly three days.

His bare feet had just hit the ground floor when he heard a loud crashing noise coming from the front door. Draco stopped dead. No one who should be coming to number twelve would ever knock, they would know better. Knocking, especially loud knocking, would draw the attention of the neighbors, who couldn't see number twelve, let alone the door, and that would draw questions.

The banging stopped as suddenly as it had started and Draco thought, hoped, that it had just been his imagination. That his lack of sleep and food had made him think there was someone out there, someone who shouldn't be there. But then he heard a voice calling and he knew it hadn't only been in his head.

“Harry, Hermione, are you there?” The voice, Ginny's voice, asked desperately, “You have to be there, I need you to be there.” Draco's heart nearly stopped when he heard her voice. He walked over to the door quickly and pulled it open. There on the doorstep, stood the first women he'd ever loved, with the beginnings of two black eyes and heavily scratched cheeks. She held a three week old baby in her arms and a bag over her shoulder.

“Ginny,” he said softly, pulling the door open completely, “What happened to you?”

Ginny paused, looked down to the child in her arms and said, “Inside,” and she stepped into the house passed him. He closed the door after her, and turned to look at her, standing silently in the hallway, rocking her baby back and forth.

“Are you all right?” Draco asked, desperate to understand what had happened to her.

“Why are you here? Where's your wife?”

“Dead,” Draco answered quickly, somehow admitting the truth to Ginny didn't hurt as much. “She and our daughter, they were killed by Death Eaters.”

Ginny gasped, “Death Eaters?”

“Yes, but that's a long story for another time. What's wrong? What happened to you?”

“I -” she started to say, but the baby in her arms started to cry softly and Ginny's attention was pulled to her child, “Oh shh, shh baby,” she said, beginning to rock the baby again. It was obvious to Draco that whatever else had happened to Ginny she was stressed and had no idea what her baby needed; he had been like that when Violette was first born.

“Does she need to be changed?” He guessed, looking at the little girl in Ginny's arm, who looked more uncomfortable then hungry.

“Of course,” she agreed, shaking her head as if to clear it, “I'm just, just so tired I can't tell anymore.”

He nodded, “Let me take your bag for you,” he offered, reaching out and grabbing hold of the bag strap before she could reject his offer. She gave him a weak, but grateful smile and let the bag fall off her shoulder and into his hand. “What do you have in this?” He asked, the great weight of the bag pulling his arm down.

“Everything,” she answered, “everything I could risk taking.”

“What -”

“I don't want to talk about it,” she insisted, “I just want to find a place to change my baby so she can go back to sleep.”

He nodded, “All right,” he said kindly, trying to speak calmly without speaking down to her, Ginny had always hated that, “let's go upstairs, you can set up whatever you need in my room -”

“I don't want to share your room,” she said sharply, cutting across him.

“You can set up whatever you need in my room and I'll move my stuff out,” he finished, “it's just, the room I've been using is the only spare one that's clean at the moment.”

“Fine,” she relented as her daughter's fussing grew louder, “lead on.”

Draco slung her bag over his shoulder and started upstairs. Something was wrong, that much would be obvious without the scratches on her face. No, he and Ginny hadn't parted well, but she'd never been so short with him. She was hiding something, which worried him, and she was in a terrible state which worried him even more. He didn't want to push, she'd always hated being pushed, but some one had hurt her and he couldn't over look that. He may not be a part of her life anymore, but that didn't stop him from caring about her and wanting to make sure she was out of harms way.

“This was Hermione's room,” Ginny said as Draco opened the door for her.

He shrugged, motioning for her to go in first, “I wouldn't know, the lovebirds were already shearing a bed by the time I came here.”

“Don't get cynical,” she demanded curtly, “it's nice that they're happy.” She stepped into the room and he rolled his eyes at her back, this woman knew him too well. He followed her in and felt himself cringe at the disheveled state the room was in.

Dirty clothes were sprinkled here and there all over the floor, his bed was unmade, and the few books he'd borrowed from Hermione, in an effort to keep his mind off his family, were laying in an add assortment of places. It looked like the room of a fifteen-year-old, though he'd never been this messy, even at fifteen. He almost apologized for the mess, out of polite manners, but then realized it didn't matter.

“What do you need out of this?” He asked, pulling the bag off his shoulder and peering into it. He stared into the bag for several moments before he realized what he was seeing. It looked like dollhouse furniture in extreme detail; he could make out a changing table, a wardrobe, a crib, and a rocking chair, among other things. She'd miniaturized her furniture and the baby's furniture and brought them along.

“I'll need the changing table,” she said turning back to him.

“Right,” he muttered, “obviously.” He retrieved the changing table and placed it on the floor in front of him, careful to make sure it was steady before he resized it with a wave of his wand.

Ginny nodded her head in thanks and went about changing her daughter, “When did you get that?” She asked, pointing at the wand he was holding.

“A few days ago,” he answered, “Harry took me to Diagon Alley to replace the one the Death Eaters broke.” She nodded, disappearing the dirty diaper with a quick flick of her own wand. “What's her name?” He asked as she redressed the small baby in a white sleeper with little pink roses on it.

“Melena,” she said adoringly, looking the small baby over with great pride.

He smiled, “It's beautiful, so is she.”

“Thank you, not everyone thinks so,” she said casually, though he could hear a deeper pain in her voice.

“Ginny, what happened?” He asked, reaching across the changing table to grab her hand. She pulled it away quickly, picking up Melena and stepping back.

She shook her head vigorously and he knew he wasn't going to be getting his answer then, “I need her crib, she'll be back to sleep soon.” He fished the crib out of the bag and resized it for her. She was looking away from him, intentionally he was sure, but she thanked him when he set the crib up at the left side of the bed, the side he remembered she preferred to sleep on. Though it had been years since he'd shared a bed with her, her preference may have changed.

When Melena was content again and peacefully asleep Ginny took a blanket from inside a drawer of the changing table, wrapped Melena securely in it, and put the buddle down in the crib. The little girl wiggled momentarily, making herself comfortable, and then settled serenely, the only movement coming from her chest as it rose and fell softly with her breathing.

“Could I ask you to do something for me?” Ginny asked, looking up from her daughter to Draco. He nodded, she could ask him for anything and he would do his best to give it to her. “You remember that old claw-foot tub you used to conjure for me?”

“Of course,” he said, waving his wand at the far corner of the room. A cream colored, claw-footed tub appeared in the open space, filling itself with warm water.

“Thank you, I need to clean myself off,” she explained, walking over to the tub and testing the water. “Perfect, as always,” she mumbled, more to herself then him. He smiled to himself, knowing that he'd gotten it right after all these years. Before she could ask him, he waved his wand again and a screen came up between them.

He heard her making small, pain filled noises, as she pulled off her clothes, and he forced himself to turn away. Her face looked bad enough; he couldn't imagine what state the rest of her was in. Well, he could, he remembered vividly what her body looked like seven years ago, but that wouldn't do him any good at the moment.

“What does that mean - Melena?” Draco asked, looking down into the crib, looking for a distraction. It was the first time he'd been able to take a truly good look at the small girl. She looked very much like Ginny, with her noise and her mouth, though the wisp of hair that wrapped around Melena's head was a darker shade of red then her mother's.

There was a soft splash from the other side of the screen and a relieved sigh as she settled into the bath, “It's Greek,” she said splashing softly in the water, “for yellow.”

He looked skeptically down at the baby; she certainly didn't look yellow, “as in the color?” He asked, doubting that she meant to call her daughter a cowered; though why calling her a color was any better he didn't know.

“Like a canary,” she explained, “I thought it was a beautiful name, than I found out what it meant. I guess I'll just have to dissuade her from ever going to Greece.”

“A good thought,” he agreed, watching the small child sleep. From what little Harry had told him Melena had arrived earlier, but she was strong, didn't need much help. She certainly looked like a tough little girl, just like her mother.

“She's so wonderful,” she said softly, he was sure she was talking to herself, but he couldn't help but hear. “So beautiful; so perfect; how could anyone hate her?

“Hate her?” He questioned straightening up and looking towards the screen, “who hates her?”

“He does,” she said, and he heard her voice crake as she began to cry. “I don't understand what went wrong, I don't - don't understand,” the rest of her words were lost in a garble of sobs. Not thinking about the fact that she was naked in the bath, or that he wasn't allowed to see her naked anymore, Draco walked around the screen. His only thought was to be near her, to comfort her. He dropped to his knees at the side of the bath reaching out to pull her nearer to him. She moved against him, burying her wet face into his chest, crying uncontrollably.

Her arms came out of the water and wrapped around his back, pulling herself closer to him. “Ginny,” he said softly into the top of her head, stroking her hair gently, “tell me what happened, please.”

“Daniel,” she said suddenly, bringing her face off his chest, “Daniel did this to me.”

“Your husband?” Draco asked skeptically.

She nodded, “He, he -” she tried to say, but failed as she started to cry again, her face disappearing into his chest once more.

“You don't have to tell me what happened,” he promised her, wrapping his arm around her back and rocking her gently, “we can just sit here and you can cry into my chest.”

For a while it seemed she would do just that, her sobs going from loud to quiet and back again as she tried to regain her composure, but eventually the crying stopped all together and she sifted against him. She was moving away, over to the other side of the bath so she could look at him. He let her move away, pulling his arm back so his hands rested on the edge of the tub nearest to him. “Did Hermione or Harry tell you what Daniel did after I gave birth to Melena?” Ginny asked, her bruised eyes, now reddened by her crying, looking up to meet his.

“No,” he answered, “they didn't really tell me anything. What did he do?”

“He left,” she explained, brushing a stray bit of wet hair off her face, “he wouldn't hold her, he wouldn't even look at her. He disappeared; didn't come back until tonight.”

“You've been on your own for three weeks?” He asked unbelieving, before he could stop himself. She nodded solemnly. That explained why Hermione was going to Ginny's so often. Harry had refused to tell Draco when he'd asked; undoubtedly Harry was attempting to keep Draco out of Ginny's life by keeping him in the dark.

“When he came back tonight, he was drunk;” she started, looking down into her hands as if the story was written on them for her to read and relay, “he couldn't walk straight, he reeked of alcohol; it was so obvious. I tried to get him to leave, told him to come back when he sobered up. I didn't want him around Melena when he was drunk, but he wouldn't go,” she was shaking slightly as she talked and he could see her reliving it in her mind. He wanted more then anything to pull her into him again and attempt to comfort her, but he knew that was the wrong thing to do.

“He shoved me aside, against a wall, and went into the nursery. I could hear him talking to her; saying that she was wrong, that she was supposed to be a boy. He woke her while he was yelling at her, but once she started to cry he left. I tried to go in and comfort her, but he grabbed hold of me and started yelling at me, hitting me, telling me it was my fault.

“After a while he got tired of hitting me, so he dragged me into the bedroom by my wrists,” she held out her arms so he could see her purple forearms. Draco had the distinct and unsettling feeling that he knew where this was going. “He threw me onto the bed and ra-raped me. I tried to fight him off, but I-I couldn't, he tied my arms behind my head and pinned my legs down.

“He kept talking to me,” she said, her shaking becoming more violent, “he said I'd get it right this time; that he'd married me because I wasn't supposed to be able to have girls. Over and over he told me things, horrible things.

“Ginny,” Draco started to say, but no other words came out. He had no words for this; no way to tell her it would all be all right when he had no way of knowing if it would.

“I passed out, half way through,” Ginny continued, when Draco couldn't. “When I came `round he'd passed out and Melena was still crying, she'd gotten louder, more desperate. I went to her, once I saw her face I knew I had to leave; I had to get her away form him. So I packed everything I could and drove here. I shouldn't have driven, I know, but I couldn't risk apparating and I didn't want to floo, Melena is too young for that.”

Draco hesitated for a moment before asking the question he had to know the answer to, “Has he ever hit you before?”

Ginny looked up at him, scanning his eyes for something, “You think I would have a child with a man who beats me?” She asked incredulously, infuriated by the insinuation.

“No,” he assured her quickly, “but that doesn't mean it wouldn't happen.”

She stared at him for a moment, the all too familiar blaze in her eyes challenging the sincerity of his concern for her. When he wouldn't back down, or try to chance topics, she realized he was being honest and said, “Once, when we were first dating. He was drunk -”

“Seems to be a pattern there,” he commented, interrupting her.

“Yes,” she admitted, “but that time wasn't anywhere near as bad as this time. He only slapped me once, across the face, and then he left. He came to my office the next day, once he'd sobered up and begged me to take him back, saying he's never touch alcohol again. And he didn't, from that day forward, he wouldn't even have a little champagne at our wedding. At least, he didn't until Melena was born.

“How could he hate her?” Ginny asked, desperately, looking to Draco for answers he didn't have, “What did I do wrong? What did I do to deserve this?”

“Oh Ginny,” Draco sighed sadly, getting up to his feet. He walked quickly around the bath and got down to his knees again. Careful not to touch a part of her that was bruised, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind and pulled her back until her head once again rested on his chest. “You didn't do anything to deserve this; you don't deserve this, neither does your daughter.”

“Then why is it happening to us Draco?” She asked, grabbing hold of the arms that were crossed over her chest and wincing as her damaged wrists brushed against his arms. “Why?”

He shook his head, bringing his head down so he was talking into her wet hair as he admitted, “I don't know, but Ginny,” he added, pulling his face up so his chin rested on the top of her head, “you got out. You got away. You and Melena are safe now. He can't hurt you anymore, I won't let him.”

“Help me out,” she managed to request, her voice filled with the tears she was trying not to shed. Pulling his arms away, Draco kissed Ginny gently on the top of the head and stood up. He walked around the tub once again and held out his arm to her. She took it, attempting to smile politely and let him pull her up. Once she was steady on her feet outside the tub, which took her a few minutes, she let go of him saying, “Look at me.”

He stepped back, to take in every inch of her. Normally seeing her naked would excite him; cause him to think on a hedonistic level, but not then. Her body, apart from being changed by her recent pregnancy, was covered in fresh deep purple bruises like the ones on her arms and around her eyes. Most of the bruises were on her stomach and lower abdomen. The inside of her thighs were so badly beaten that they looked black and he could see that at the joining of her legs, there were, what looked like, violent, deep, scratches. She was in worst state then he'd been in after he'd been tortured.

Look at her he could feel his sense of vengeance welling up inside him, like it had when he'd killed the Death Eaters. He wanted to kill this Daniel. Draco wanted to hunt him down and hurt him like he'd hurt Ginny. But he couldn't, it would make Ginny's pain go away, just as it hadn't made his vanish. Pushing his feelings of hate aside he pulled his wand out of his pocket and conjured a plush towel for Ginny.

“Thank you,” she said politely, as he passed it to her. It turned out that wrapping the towel around herself wasn't something she could do. Bending her wrists to the angles required caused her to hiss painfully and drop the towel.

“I'm not much use at healing spells, but I could try to mend some of the bruising for you,” Draco offered summoning the towel up off the floor and shaking it off.

Ginny shook her head, “No.”

“You've suffered enough,” he insisted, walking over to her so he could wrap her in the towel himself.

“It's not about the pain,” she explained, holding her arms up as he threw the towel around her back and brought it forward to tuck it tight against her body. “I have to take pictures of the bruising before I let anyone heal it.”

Draco looked at her skeptically, “What ever for?”

“When we married I made him sign a binding magical contract that said if at anytime during out marriage I could prove he'd hit me I could have the marriage annulled.”

“Smart,” he praised stepping back from her a bit, though inwardly he was thinking of how dumb it was that she entered into a marriage where she thought she'd need a safeguard like that. He'd never known Ginny to put herself into that kind of situation.

She shook her head, “No it wasn't,” she admitted as if she'd been reading his thoughts, carefully crossing her arms over her chest as she looked up at him. “I shouldn't have married him. I shouldn't have taken the chance. But I loved him and he hadn't raised a hand to me since he gave up alcohol.”

“You weren't stupid Ginny,” he found himself saying. In honesty he thought it was daft, but he didn't want her thinking she was stupid, especially not in the state she was in. “He was -”

“I'm tired of talking about this,” Ginny said uncomfortably, cutting across him. She walked quickly around him before he could say anything else and past the screen, leaving Draco quietly in her wake. His sighed heavily, his head hanging down so he was staring at the bath, he wasn't sure when he'd crossed the line, how he'd gone too far, but obviously he had. With a wave of his wand the bath and screen disappeared. He turned around and found Ginny sitting on the bed, looking down at her sleeping daughter.

“Gin, I'm sorry,” he apologized walking towards her.

She shook her head, “I'm just tired of talking about it, of thinking about it.”

“Then we won't talk about it anymore,” Draco promised quickly, “in fact, I'll pack up my things and get out of here.” He walked to the wardrobe and opened it, there wasn't much in it; most of his clothing was on the floor waiting to be washed or to be put away after washing. Trying to be as quiet as possible he started pulling clothes out. Having not thought it out well, he didn't have a bag to put them in so he started stacking them on his arms.

“Draco,” Ginny whispered over her shoulder when he was about halfway done.

“Nearly done, Gin, just give me a coup -”

“Please don't,” she requested quietly.

“Don't what?” He asked, turning to face her, the stack of clothes slightly obscuring his view of her.

“Go,” she said, then expanded, “don't go.”

“I thought you said you didn't want to share,” he started, letting his arm holding the clothing drop a bit so he could see her clearly.

She tried to smile weakly, “Can't a girl change her mind.”

“Of course she can,” he said, smiling at her despite himself. The fact that Ginny wanted him to stay made him happy, for the first time since Pauline's murder he was properly happy. He shouldn't be happy, he shouldn't be smiling, but he couldn't help it.

“Do you remember that summer we visited the Malfoy Villa in Italy?” She asked out of the blue.

“Yes,” he answered quickly, he remembered ever moment he'd ever spent with her, at least he liked to think he did. He certainly remembered much of that summer.

“Why doesn't life stay like that?” She asked sounding far away in thought. Draco shoved the pile of clothes haphazardly back into his wardrobe and walked back towards the bed. He stopped at the end of the bed and looked down at her. Any fleeting happy feeling he'd been having mere seconds earlier vanished as he looked her over. She seemed frail and timid, two words he would never have thought to use in a description of the Ginny Weasley he'd known.

“There is a curious paradox,” he began slowly, remembering a quote from his wife's favorite musical that was entirely too fitting to waste. She looked over at him as he sat down on the bed and continued, “that no one can explain. Who understands the secrets of the reaping of the grain? Who understands why Spring is born out of Winter's laboring pains? Or why we all must die a bit before we grow again.”

She looked at him silently and he was sure he knew what she was thinking. He could tell by the little furrow of her brow and her fingers twitching at the hem of her towel that she was trying to work something out. Most likely she was trying to deduce if he'd become a poet in the years they were apart or was quoting something. “What's that from?” She finally asked, obviously deciding he had never been a poet and never would be.

“A musical, The Fantasticks, it was Pauline's favorite, insisted we see it every time we were in America. I haven't thought of it in a year, but the speech rings true.”

“Yes,” she agreed, “very true. I just would have thought I'd done all my growing after -”

“So would I,” he admitted, interrupting her before she could finish. He was sure he knew what she was going to say so he didn't need to hear it. She didn't have to say that he'd broken her heart from him to know it was true. “I never meant to hurt you.”

“I know that,” she said without hesitation, “doesn't mean it didn't hurt.” He nodded looking down into his hands, knowing that was true.

It felt to him that he should say something more to her, perhaps apologize for the things that had passed between them, but he couldn't do that. He couldn't apologize for loving his wife. He was genuinely sorry he'd hurt Ginny, but he wouldn't trade his years with Pauline for anything. She'd given him a beautiful daughter and made him happy. And if you'd married Ginny, she'd be dead now, his mind added truthfully. He didn't want to think that, but as much as Pauline's death had hurt him if it was Ginny in her place it would have killed him.

It was an insult to Pauline's memory to admit that, even if it was only to himself, and he felt guilty immediately. But he couldn't change the fact that it was true. Even after his years with Pauline, despite everything she meant to him, he knew that the woman sitting on the bed with him held a bigger part of him. She'd been his first love, would have been his only love if things had been different.

“So how often did you see this musical?” She asked, interrupting his thoughts.

“Six times,” he recalled, “including once when it was preformed especially for us, a command performance, so to speak.” She was looking at him, clearly intrigued, so he went on, “It's not a large production, it's very small, never been very mainstream. There was no theater putting on a performance anywhere near where we were staying, so I paid for one.”

“Why didn't you just apparate somewhere that it was playing?” She asked, clearly glad that they were talking about anything other then what had happened to her.

“We couldn't,” he answered simply.

“You couldn't?” She questioned.

“No,” he replied shaking his head, “Pauline liked to take `Vacations From Magic', at least that's what she called them. She thought living as a muggle was a terribly grand adventure, insisted we do it at least once a year.”

“You lived as a muggle?”

“Yes.”

“No magic?”

“That is what that means, yes.”

“For how long?”

“Two weeks, maybe three, depending.”

“I just don't believe that,” she said, shaking her head as a smile spread across her face, she was obviously trying hard not to laugh at him.

He nodded “Honestly, I could tell you didn't.” Her resolve evaporated quickly as she dissolved into laughter; that she could laugh, even after what she'd been though amazed him. He hadn't truly laughed since that horrible night in September when he and his family had been taken from their home. But sitting there, next to Ginny, he felt better, happy, and able to laugh. Even though he realized she was laughing at him and by joining in he was laughing at himself.

They laughed together for a few very happy moments until Melena stirred in her crib and they both quieted themselves, but even that little pause from the serious helped. “I haven't laughed in ages,” Draco admitted when he could finally catch his breath.

“Neither have I,” she said, a smile still lingering on her face.

“I was beginning to think I never would again,” he added seriously, smiling over at her.

“Draco,” she started, rubbing her hands softly up and down her arms, “can I ask you do another thing for me?”

“Anything,” he assured her quickly, his smile slipping slightly, afraid that she might be asking him to leave, despite her earlier request that he stay.

“I need clothes,” she said, her smile taking an embarrassed turn, “I'm freezing and I'm afraid if I try to resize my wardrobe I'll risk blowing it up.”

“Magic feeling unsteady?” He questioned getting off the bed in search of her bag. It was sitting near the end of the changing table. Picking it up he searched around inside till he found the wardrobe.

“Yes,” she answered, watching him walk the miniaturized wardrobe over to the corner of the room where the bath had stood; the only open space in the room. He looked thoughtfully from the wardrobe in his hand to the open area in front of him, and then slowly shook his head as if he had decided something. “What?” she asked.

He turned to her, “Is this the same wardrobe you used to have?” He asked pointing at the small piece of furniture in his hand.

“No,” she answered, “It was a wedding gift from my brother Charlie.”

“Is it the same size?”

“A bit larger actually, why?”

“It won't fit here,” he answered.

Ginny sighed, “Then what am I supposed to -”

“I think,” he said, interrupting her because he knew where she was going, “for tonight anyway, I can provide you with something. When Harry and Hermione get back, tomorrow morning most likely, we can sort things out better.” He stashed her wardrobe back into her bag on his way across the room, nearly tripping over his own dirty clothes in his rush to get her something to wear.

Of course his own wardrobe was still a mess from earlier, when he'd just piled the clothes back in instead of putting them away properly. But he was able, with out much difficulty, to produce a suitable outfit for her. Consisting of a well worn shirt and a spear pair of pajama pants, it was nothing glamorous, but he was sure it would do.

“Perfect,” she appraised as he handed it to her.

“Will you be able to manage?” He asked, thinking of her pained expression when she'd attempted to wrap herself in the towel.

“I'll be fine,” she assured him, making sure the shirt was facing the right way and sliding her arms into it, “I think I just turned my wrist wrong before, I'll be more careful this time around.” Draco nodded, only slightly reassured and turned away from her, to give her some privacy. He could here her wincing behind him, but she wasn't making any terribly painful noises so he figured she was managing.

“You can turn around now,” she informed him a few minutes later.

Draco turned to find her folding up the soft towel. He couldn't help but smile to himself; he'd forgotten how cute she was dressed in his clothes, though her heavily bruised face marred the effect. “Actually Ginny, if there was nothing else you needed, I was thinking of leaving, let you get some sleep.”

“I believe, if you'll remember, I asked you to stay,” she said quietly.

That took him by surprise. Of course he remembered her asking him to stay, but he hadn't thought she meant over night. When she'd arrived less then two hours ago she'd been short with him, and obviously didn't want him around. Now she wanted him staying with her over night. “I remember,” he confirmed, “I just didn't think you meant-” but he was unable to finish his sentence. His voice quickly fading into nothing, betraying him as his mind imagined sleeping next to her again.

“I don't want to be alone,” she explained, “I know Daniel won't come here, if he managed to sober up anytime soon he'd be too afraid of what Harry would do, but I don't feel safe on my own.”

“I'll stay,” he promised as she brought a hand up to her face to cover up a yawn. “Tired?” He questioned, though the answer was obvious.

“Yes,” she admitted, looking back at the unmade bed, “you've been a bit sloppy lately, haven't you?”

“I wasn't expecting such refined company,” he muttered sarcastically, giving her a small smile.

She smiled back, “Melena and I don't mind, we're not too fussy about mess.”

“That's good,” Draco assured her as she climbed into the bed and began making herself comfortable, “I don't plan on cleaning.” She laughed lightly, knowing full well that wasn't true. He liked having his things in order, he always had; he was compulsive about it really.

Feeling a bit awkward, Draco walked around to the other side of the bed and sat down. His fatigue was catching up to him, he greatly needed the sleep. He was so tired he didn't even remember settling back onto the bed or Ginny quietly wishing him a good night.

The next thing Draco knew was being awoken by the shrill cry of a hungry baby. His first instinct was to see if Pauline was already handling it, but then he remembered where he was and that the baby wasn't his. So instead of looking to Pauline he looked over to Ginny, who was somehow sleeping through her child's cries. Feeling a bit groggy he pushed the covers back and climbed out of the bed.

Melena had wiggled her blanket open and was making all the noise she could, trying to rouse someone who could feed her. “Sorry little girl,” Draco said softly, reaching into the crib and gathering her up in his arms, “I'm not exactly who you want, but I think I know who is. You'll have to forgive her,” he insisted looking at the small creature in his arms, “she's awfully tired, you see, she's been through quite an ordeal.” Melena's cries quieted slightly as she tried to make out whom this new voice belonged to.

He smiled down at her, turning back to the bed. Ginny was lying near the center of the bed, very close to wear Draco himself had just been sleeping, curled up on her side. Making sure he had a good hold on Melena, Draco reached out across the bed and touched Ginny gently on the shoulder. She jerked awake violently, pulling away from his hand. “I'm sorry Ginny,” he said apologetically, sitting down on the edge of the bed, “but you're daughter seems to be hungry,” he explained.

Ginny groaned, “I'm sorry she woke you, or rather that she didn't wake me,” she apologized in turn moving over so she was sitting just behind him.

“I'm a light sleeper anyway,” he muttered, twisting back so he could hand Melena to Ginny, who was pulling her shirt off over her head. Once Melena was in her mother's arms Draco turned away to give her privacy.

Ginny gave a little disbelieving laugh and asked, “Since when? A herd of elephants tromping through the bedroom wouldn't wake you most days.”

“Since Violette,” he explained, “she was such a quiet newborn, it was so odd for her to cry when she was first around that my reaction was always that something must be wrong and I'd jump out of bed.”

“That's not Melena,” Ginny insisted, “she makes sure she's heard.”

“I noticed,” he admitted, as his stomach grumbled loudly.

“When was the last time you ate something?” She asked, obviously hearing the rumbling of his stomach.

He shrugged, “A couple days, haven't had much of an appetite.”

“Draco,” she scolded, “you have to eat,” and she pressed a hand firmly into his back, shoving him off the bed. He fell forward onto his knees with a crash and a sharp pain.

“Don't want to loose my girlish figure,” he joked, getting to his feet. “Thanks for shoving me out of bed by the way.”

“I didn't shove you out, I shoved you off,” she corrected.

“Thanks all the same,” he said sarcastically stepping across the room, “can I get you anything while I'm down there?” He offered as he pulled the door open.

“No, I'm just going to feed her and go back to sleep, thank you though.” He held up his hand, as if to say think nothing of it, and shuffled through the door, closing it behind him.

Draco continued to shuffle as he made his way down the stairs, sleep still clinging to him. He would greatly love to crawl back into bed before he was fully awake, but his stomach wouldn't allow that. Now that he realized how hungry he was he would be able to get back to sleep without eating something. He tried to go quickly, he wanted to get back up to bed before Ginny went to sleep, so he wouldn't wake her, but dragging his feet felt so much easier. So he dragged them all the way down to the kitchen, his energy building as the sleep slowly retreated.

In the kitchen he went straight to the pantry, quickly made himself a sandwich, and sat down at the table to eat it, his mind wondering to Ginny upstairs. She had practically jumped out of her skin when he touched her shoulder. He supposed, with everything she'd gone through, it was probably a very natural reaction, but it still unnerved him. He'd never seen her that scared of anything.

When he'd finished eating Draco started back upstairs. He'd barley been gone fifteen minutes, and if Melena was anything like Violette she'd still be feeding, so with luck Ginny would still be awake. As he was walking up the kitchen stairs the front door opened, hitting the wall with a crash.

“Anxious are we?” Came Harry's voice as he stepped through the door backwards, followed by Hermione. She smirked at him and kissed him, heatedly, nearly knocking him over. Obviously their little date had gone well.

Hermione was just pushing the door closed behind them when Draco made himself seen. He walked up the few remaining stairs and cleared his throat loudly. “Sorry to interrupt,” he apologized.

“No, um, that's all right,” Hermione said quickly pulling away from Harry, “why are you up so late?”

“It's Ginny, she's in a right state.”

AN: I'll say she is. You know I've realized, I'm not often nice to Ginny in Harry/Hermione stories, long chapter ones like this. I've never posted any of the others on portkey `cause they are somewhat dumb, but I did notice that little pattern of mine while I was writing this chapter. But now she has Draco to comfort her so yay!

weirder - excellent, I love having people hooked, and I promise we will get back to Harry and Hermione very soon, just have a couple things to sort out first TephieBird - I think normal is over rated myself, no I'm just kidding, Harry and Hermione will settle into a normal life, though that's more towards the end of this story. Yeah, Draco needed the closure, originally it was going to jump from the chapter where he shows up to this chapter, but I realize that more needed to happen, so chapter 29 was one of the chapters that was added to the outline late in the game, glad you liked it so much h/hr4ever - well he certainly has a heart in my stories, as I have a feeling he does in the books, but that's a whole separate discussion alayeni - like I said good guess, but not quite right. But I needed Melena to be there for both Ginny and Draco, so I figured make the husband a bastard and bring the two together that way harry n hermione - Draco knew Ginny was having a baby, he saw her in Diagon Alley when she was about four months, but I think he lost track of that what with being kidnapped and all lylc - thanks, there were probably still errors, there are just things I just don't see, but thank you for being so nice about it. I was crying writing chapter 29 so it doesn't really surprise me that people got misty-eyed, glad you liked it so much though, that is always great to hear fairyp80 - yeah, it was not at all a good day for Draco, but in the end it was the best thing for him, luckily Harry and Hermione do get some time together, we don't see it, but they had a very nice night out Julie3291 - why thank you, that really nice to hear Mani2191 - yes we would all like it if there were no interruptions, I think Harry especially would like that, but it would be no fun if life were perfect, at least not too perfect anyway xmftf - yes, I am actually a few chapters ahead of the game, I just haven't had anyone to edit them for a while, but my betas are, in theory, back to having somewhat normal schedules so updates won't take so long redblue0115 - yes, there will be a bit of a Ginny and Draco relationship in this story, I've been promising it all along and now we've finally got there hermione4harry - unfortunately there really isn't much Harry and Hermione alone time till Valentine's day, that I describe anyway, but don't worry, we'll get the Ginny/Draco stuff sorted and get back to the main story at hand Natasha - well I never stopped writing this story, well not really anyway, there was just a time when it took a long time to write any chapters, but I've been on a roll for a while now and hopefully will be able to finish the story and get the remaining chapters to my betas with in the next month or so - we are on the homestretch now lzod - I am still amazed when people tell me they've read the whole story in a day, I can't do that, I don't think I can get past chapter 10 before I lose interest, though that probably has something to do with the fact that I wrote the thing so I know what is going to happen. And yes, as it has probably become clear to you in this chapter Ginny was Draco's girlfriend acoustics1220 - no I didn't mean to spell barely barley, it is just one of the mistakes I don't see, when I was younger like and lick got mixed up in my writing all the time, at least I don't do that anymore Harrys girl lol, yeah it has been a while, but I've talked to both of my betas recently so I know they both still have a pulse. Draco is always human in my stories…well for the most part, but I'm very proud of the fact that I can get all these people who hate Draco to feel bad for him, makes me very happy that my writing turned out the way I wanted it to CrimsonTemplar - I were only fooling with the Author's note at the end of the last chapter `cause I knew there would be more interruptions to come. There will be no help needed, Harry finds his quiet moment it just takes a little while. trulyurs14 - : ) Lady Starlight - why would they need to do Side-Along Apparition? tubs - : ) HPottersWoman - : ) Mignight_Witch - well there will be a bit of Draco and Ginny relationship described in this story, but it's only going to touch on the bigger story that's going on between the two of them. I am writing a short little story that is set seven years earlier that explains what happened to them and why Draco had a fall out with everyone, I'm even thinking of writing a second companion piece that tells Draco and Ginny's story after this story, but I haven't decided for sure about that one jhh - : ) GAPA - I won't take a long time to update as long as I have the chapters done, it's when I get stuck or busy that things slow down a bit

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31. Legality

AN: Despite my best efforts it has again been months since I updated. I don't mean to keep you waiting really I don't, but I've had an extremely crazy two months. I don't even know where they've gone. I won't promise to update quicker, as every time I've thought I'd be able to it hasn't worked out. But know I'm updating as quickly as I can and am working on this story still, though it probably seems as if I've abandoned it.

Legality

The rest of the night passed in a quickly flurry of movement. After Draco told Harry and Hermione the bare facts of Ginny's story, the three of them strengthened the charms protecting number twelve. Daniel would no longer be able to see the house should he decide to visit Grimmauld Place, nor would he be able to apparate in. After helping Daniel-proof the house, as Hermione had called it, Draco returned to his bedroom. The first rays of morning light were already seeping in through the partially covered windows as he climbed into bed, careful not to disturb Ginny, who was sleeping peacefully near the middle of the bed.

Draco's eyes closed the moment his head hit the pillow and he didn't wake again till near noon. Either Melena hadn't cried or he'd just been too exhausted to hear her. When he did wake it was to find the room around him completely changed. The wardrobe over on the right side of the room wasn't the one that had been there hours before, it was Ginny's. The changing table stood where there was once a small desk, the crib had been repositioned so it rested against the far wall, and in one corner sat a rocking chair, positioned so the person sitting in it could look out the window.

Ginny was sitting quietly in the chair, rocking back and forth as she feed Melena. She didn't seem to realize he was awake so he took that quiet moment to study her. Sunlight washed over her face, almost hiding the bruises that were now fully formed around both her eyes. Somehow, despite the bruising, she looked peaceful.

“Melena didn't wake you did she?” Ginny asked, still looking out the window.

“No,” Draco answered, sitting up properly, not bothering to ask how she'd known he was awake “in fact I didn't hear her at all after I came back to bed.”

“Good,” Ginny said softly, looking down as she switched Melena from one side to the other. “Draco,” she started, looking over at him, “I want to thank you for what you did last night; for everything you did last night; for listening to me, helping with Melena - your discretion with Harry and Hermione; everything.”

“Of course,” he said, “anything I can do to help.”

“You've helped enough,” she assured him, “I just really appreciate everything you've done.”

“Not a problem,” he insisted, stretching as he got up off the bed. “So which room did they move my tings to?” He questioned pulling on his robes, he intended to gather up his clothes and take the longest shower he could manage.

“None,” she answered, “there was enough room in my wardrobe for your things…I want you to stay.”

He smiled, pulling open the wardrobe door, he could do that with ease, “I might have known you put our things together,” he muttered, picking out what he intended to wear, “you are wearing my shirt after all.”

“Noticed that did you?” She asked; she'd borrowed one of his button ups, matching it with a pair of jeans. “If you want me to change - ”

“No,” he said, waving his hand dismissively, “don't bother; besides, it's a good look for you.”

She smiled appreciatively, “Thank you, button ups make feedings less of a hassle,” she explained buttoning her shirt with one hand as she cradled her now sleeping daughter against her body with the other.

“Drops right off doesn't she?” He questioned, nodding his head at Melena as he crossed the room to the bathroom.

“She does, especially in afternoon.”

“Must be all those early morning meetings,” Draco reasoned putting his clothes down and switching on the shower. “Contract negotiations with her coffee, conference calls with her muffin.”

Ginny laughed, “I've told her she needs to take some time off; she simply refuses to see reason.”

He smiled, hanging his clean clothes on the back of the door; it was good to hear that she could still be cheerful, that she wasn't dwelling entirely on what had happened. She was handling things much better then he had. And he told her so, looking around the edge of the partially closed door. “It's good to hear you laugh Gin,” he said, making her smile.

“It's good to hear you calling me Gin,” she responded, shifting Melena, “others have, but it isn't the same.” She looked up, meeting his eyes with hers, and for a moment, a very small moment, he thought he saw a glimmer of her old feelings for him, but it was gone as soon as he saw it.

You imagined it, he told himself shacking his head to clear his mind, “I'm just going to get cleaned up,” he said, motioning to the shower, though he wasn't sure why he was telling her.

“Go on then, I'll wait for you,” she said, smiling as if she knew how awkward he suddenly felt, “we'll go down together.”

He nodded, and shut the bathroom door, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Why he was feeling so shaky and awkward suddenly was beyond him. Though he had been a bit unsteady in most ways recently, it was probably nothing. At least that's what he told himself as he stepped under the tap. It couldn't be anything more, with everything they had both been through it would be, in a word, inconvenient.

Fifteen minutes later Draco left the bathroom, convinced he'd imagined the look in Ginny's eyes, and the shaky feeling in his knees. Ginny was still in the rocker, she'd placed Melena in a small chair next to the rocking chair that Draco hadn't noticed before, and was looking out the window. “I don't think I've ever actually looked out this window,” he said, stepping up behind her and looking out. It wasn't much to see, the window overlooked the back alley and the buildings behind Grimmauld Place.

“I don't know that it's much to see,” she said with a shrug, “it's just something to look at. Keep my mind off other things.”

Draco nodded, understanding the feeling, “Smart, I tried books and a variety of other things, none of them worked.”

“I noticed that,” Ginny said, getting out of the rocker, “and it hasn't helped me much either, though Melena is helping to keep me preoccupied.”

“Thank you for cleaning up, by the way,” he said, noticing that the room was much cleaner then it had been when he'd gone to sleep.

“Another distraction,” she explained, scooping Melena up.

Draco sighed, “Never did well with domestic spells.”

She laughed, “I remember, you blew up my couch once trying to organize the magazines on the coffee table.”

“I put out the fire,” he reminded her, sounding a bit hurt, “and repaired the couch!”

“And the couch smelt like singed stuffing for the rest of the time I owned it,” she reminded him.

He scoffed dramatically, holding open the door for Ginny, “I still say that was your imagination.” She rolled her eyes, making sure he could see it, and walked out of the room. He followed after her, shaking his head, he would never get off the hook for that, even though it happened eight years ago.

The kitchen was deserted when they entered it, but there was a meal put out on the table. “I wonder where Harry and Hermione have gone,” Draco mused, sitting down at the table.

“Retrieving Lily and James from the Burrow,” Ginny told him, taking up the seat next to him, “Hermione came up while you were in the shower and told me. She also said we should help ourselves to lunch if we were hungry.”

“You hungry?” He asked, watching her eye the food in front of them.

“Famished,” she admitted, trying to adjust Melena so she could eat and hold her baby at the same time.

“Let me take her,” Draco offered, holding out his arms.

“You need to eat too,” she insisted.

“I will, after you do,” he insisted in turn. She smiled gratefully and passed Melena over to him. The little bundle shifted at the extra movement, but settled as Draco cradled her against his chest, letting his steady heartbeat sooth her.

“Next time I'll being her bouncer down,” Ginny said, pulling a plateful of food towards her, “that way no one has to hold her while I eat.”

Draco shook his head, “I'm happy to do it. It's been a long time since I held a baby, I miss it.”

She smiled, “All the same, you shouldn't have to put off your meal to accommodate my child. She likes sleeping the in bouncer best anyway.”

“Is that was that little chair is called?” He questioned, remembering that it had bounced a bit. She nodded her mouth too full for her to answer properly.

“It's a muggle thing,” she explained once she swallowed, “Daniel's sister suggested we get one.”

“He has a sister?”

“Yes, a few years older them him,” Ginny explained, “she hated me.”

“I find that hard to believe,” he said, no one could not like Ginny.

“Do you really?” She asked skeptically, “as I recall you knew a house full of people who didn't like me. And for about the first five years we knew each other you were one of them.”

“Well, now I find it hard to believe,” he corrected, looking sideways at her as he rocked Melena slowly.

She looked over at him; the image of her child safe in his arms brought a smile to her face. “Glad you've seen the error of your ways.”

“Oh yes,” he jokingly admitted, “I was an idiot in school, was a horrible judge of character.”

“Well,” Ginny started understandingly, “you were a Slytherin.”

He glared at her, “Don't start with that.” She went back to her food with a triumphant look on her face. Draco shook his head. Bringing up houses had always been their way of arguing in jest, but it was the triumphant look of hers that always got his goat. Like she'd one some victory, though what they were battling over he'd never know.

He was just working out a clever way to barb her about Gryffindor when the hearth at the end of the table bust with bright green flames. Harry and Hermione stepped out first, closely followed by Ginny's parents, Molly and Arthur. Molly gave a gasp of horror and threw herself at her daughter, causing Ginny to howl in pain.

Molly jumped back as if she'd been electrocuted, “Oh Ginny, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.”

“It's all right Mum,” Ginny insisted politely, though Draco could see her cringing in pain, trying to keep quiet so her mother wouldn't feel worse. “Just don't do it again, at least not until I've been properly healed.”

“Oh Ginny,” Molly sobbed stepping closer to Ginny, but managing to keep a safe distance. “I can heal you,” she insisted, pulling her wand out of a pocket of the hand knitted poncho she was wearing.

“No Mum,” Ginny said quickly, “I can't be healed just yet,” she added, launching into the story of what happened to her yesterday, leaving out the rape. She continued by explaining the prenuptial contract she'd made Daniel sign. Judging by her parent's reactions, and the reactions of Harry and Hermione, Ginny hadn't told anyone about Daniel's abusive incident.

“Then that's the first thing you have to do Ginny,” Hermione said in the silence that followed Ginny's great revelation. “I can take you upstairs, take pictures to prove what he did, and then your mother can heal you.”

Ginny nodded, “Yes, except, I'd rather Draco did it,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Hermione looked at her, shocked, as did Draco.

“Why not let Hermi-” Harry started to say, but Ginny stopped him.

“He's already seen what I look like,” she explained, “under all this, I just, I want as few people to see me this way as possible” She turned to Draco, “Will you do this for me?”

“Of course,” he said immediately, not bothering to give it a moment's thought.

“I'll go get the camera then, shall I?” Harry asked, walking out of the kitchen before anyone could answer. Draco got the distinct feeling that Harry was upset about him for something, though Draco had no idea what he could have done.

“Here Draco,” Molly started, moving around Ginny with her arms outstretched, “I'll take the baby.”

“Thanks Mum,” Ginny said as Draco handed Melena to Molly.

“Of course dear,” Molly said dismissively, looking at her granddaughter adoringly, “I never thought I'd be lucky enough to have a granddaughter,” she commented, “Now I have two. Anyone who can't see how beautiful you are is a right fool.”

“She's right you know,” Draco whispered to Ginny, who was watching her mother cradle her daughter.

Ginny nodded, “I know,” she admitted, smiling momentarily at Draco before turning to Arthur, “Dad, could I ask you to do something?”

“Yes Ginny?” Arthur assured her quickly.

“Could you go into the Ministry and get the papers for me to fill out?”

He nodded, “Be happy to,” he said, stepping forward to kiss her gently on the only part of her cheek that wasn't scratched up. Draco saw her recoil as her father got closer, drawing in her breath. Luckily her father didn't notice, he kissed her quickly, stepped back, and disapparated. Draco was about to ask he if she was all right when she spoke up.

“Hermione, where are Lily and James?” She asked, looking around the kitchen, “I thought you went to fetch them.”

“We did, but Harry and I thought that maybe it would be best for things to get settled with you before they came home. They're with George and Lauren now.”

“Did you tell them?” Ginny asked.

“George and Lauren? No, I didn't want to worry them.”

“Thank you,” Ginny said, “I'd hate to think what the boys would do.”

“You know what those boys would do,” Molly insisted, “they'd hunt Daniel down like a pack of animals and land themselves in Azkaban by beating him to death.”

“All the more reason to tell them,” Draco muttered as Harry reentered the kitchen, camera in hand. He marched over to Draco and roughly shoved the machine into the blonde's hands.

“I've set up the development solution in the dinning room,” he explained, “I thought it would be as good a room as any.”

“Thank you Harry,” Ginny said getting up from the bench. “Come on Draco, I want to get this finished.” Draco nodded and followed her off the bench and out of the kitchen. “Harry's being very hostile towards you,” Ginny said when she and Draco were on the stairs heading up. “Isn't he?”

“Yes,” Draco agreed, “I suppose I'll hear what I've done wrong, eventually.”

“It's hard to know with Harry,” Ginny assessed, “though I think it has something to do with me.”

“I know it has something to do with you,” Draco said, walking into the dinning room. Ginny followed after him and he closed the door behind her.

“Um, Draco,” Ginny started hesitantly, turning back to face him, “I don't want to include the rape in this.”

“What?” He asked, too shocked to say anything more.

“I don't want the father of my child to go down as a rapist,” she explained.

He shook his head, as if to clear his mind, “But that's what he is!” Draco insisted, completely aghast.

“I know,” she insisted, “but he's going to go to Azkaban as it is for assaulting me. I just - please Draco, this is how I need to do it.”

He looked at her and immediately he knew he'd relent. Her desperate, pleading eyes got him instantly. Though he thought it would be better for her to admit what happened he could clearly see that she wasn't ready for that. Perhaps one day the truth would come out, but it certainly wasn't going to be today. “Fine,” he conceded, “we'll leave it out and I promise I'll not say anything.”

“Thank you, Draco,” she said earnestly, beginning to unbutton her shirt. “I know it will come out eventually, but I'm not ready for it yet.” He nodded, looking away from her as she stripped down. It felt oddly uncomfortable to watch her undress, so he avoided it as best he could. “I'm done now,” she told him, “you can turn `round.”

He turned and found her standing, in her bra and jeans near the end of the dinning room table, her armed crossed nervously over her stomach. “You'll need to uncross your arms,” he said gently, holding the camera up to his eye. She nodded letting her arms fall way. He quickly snapped pictures of her heavily bruised abdomen and face, then asked her to hold her arms out and together so he could get pictures of her wrists.

When he was satisfied that he'd gotten her bruising well documented, Draco went about developing the pictures, as Ginny pulled her shirt back on. Fifteen minutes later he had a stack of seven photos, Ginny's purple bruises evident in every one. “Those will be perfect,” she appraised glancing at the photos over his shoulder. “Thank you, Draco.”

“Glad I could help,” Draco said tightly, looking down at the top picture in the stack, the one of Ginny's face.

Ginny surprised him by touching his shoulder lightly, “I know what you're thinking, and thank you for thinking it, but I don't want you to do it.”

“What am I thinking?” He asked, sure she couldn't possibly know him that well.

She sighed, “You want to go after Daniel and hurt him for hurting me.”

“You really do know me that well,” he muttered, turning around to face her.

“Yes I do, and you can't do it. I don't want you going to prison.”

He scoffed, “I should be there anyway.”

“What?” She asked trying to look him to his eyes, but he was looking very purposefully away from her.

“It's nothing, just lingering guilt,” he said dismissively. He wanted to tell her what had happened to him, what he'd done, but it wasn't the time for it. “I'll go and get your mum so she can heal you,” he said, handing her the photos and walking towards the door.

“You can talk to me,” she insisted, making him stop and turn back to face her.

“I know I can,” he promised, “now just isn't the time.” She nodded understandingly and he left.

In the kitchen once more he reported that the pictures were taken and sent Molly up to heal Ginny. Molly gave Melena to Arthur, who'd apparated in from the Ministry of Magic just as Draco was opening the kitchen door, and headed to the dinning room.

Once Molly had gone Harry motioned for Draco to walk into the panty, “I want a word.” Draco nodded, walked across the room; into the pantry. Harry followed after him, closing the door behind them with a loud snap.

“Not happy about something?” Draco questioned sarcastically, leaning his back agsint a wall of shelves.

“Surprisingly enough, I'm not happy about something.”

“Doing a good job of keeping it hidden, never would have guessed.”

“Don't get smart,” Harry snapped, “you're the trouble.”

“Yes, I'd guessed that, otherwise you'd be pulling someone else into the pantry.”

Harry sighed, frustrated by the blonde's obstinacies, “What's going on between you and Ginny?”

Draco scoffed, “Nothing, she's badly hurt and needed a sympathetic shoulder to lean on. I suspect that if you lot had been home last night she wouldn't be speaking to me at all. She didn't want to at first, but I was the only one here and she needed to talk.”

“Don't twist this Draco,” Harry said stepping closer to the blonde, “don't try to use her, don't try to get her back.”

“She's an adult you know,” Draco said straightening up, Harry's close proximity making him feel ill at ease.

Harry nodded, “I do know, I was also around the last time you broke her heart. Did you know she couldn't get out of bed for nearly a month after you left her, she was so upset? Then she mopped around for another half year before she could really start to get over you. Did you know that?”

“No,” Draco admitted, “but the situation isn't likely to repeat itself.”

“Just keep your distance from her.”

“I'll do nothing of the sort,” Draco promised, straightening up to his full height so he was taller then the other man. “If she needs my support I'll give it to her. Anything beyond that is nothing to do with you.”

Harry looked as if he wanted to growl with rage, “Fine, but if you ever hurt her again -”

“You and her brothers will hunt me down like the beast I am and kill me,” Draco interrupted, finishing Harry's sentence for him, “Yes, I know, we've done this dance before.”

“Doesn't make it any less true,” Harry promised, stepping back and out of the cupboard.

“Now that, I believe,” Draco muttered, following Harry back into the kitchen. Molly and Ginny had returned by the time Draco reentered the room. He looked casually at Ginny, to check that her bruises were gone, and he felt his breath catch in his throat. Her injuries healed, her beauty was shinning once again, and the age she'd gained in their time apart had only done her good. She looked amazing, despite the viable signs of fatigue. The biggest change was in her eyes. Those eyes that had always pulled him in, were wiser now, they held more secrets, and he found himself wanting to know all of them.

She smiled over at him, noticing he was watching her, and motioned for him to join her on the bench again. He obliged, ignoring the warning look he was getting from Harry. Sitting down on her right side her said, “Your mum did a great job, you look brilliant.”

“I feel better too,” she admitted, “at least, I'm not in physical pain anymore, and that's a good thing.”

He nodded, “It is.”

“You know, my dad isn't giving Melena up to anyone,” she commented, “not even to me.”

Draco smiled, “the proud grandfather.”

“Very proud,” she agreed, nodding her head happily.

“Did he get the papers you need?”

“Yes,” she said, pulling a small stack of papers towards herself. “The annulment papers, the assault report form, and a petition for full custody of Melena. I never realized how much paperwork this would take.”

“You going to fill them out?” He asked, “Or just look at them?”

She rolled her eyes, “what do you think?”

Draco looked at her, considering his response carefully. There was a smartass answer riding on the tip of his tongue, as there always was, but he decided a more visual response would be better. He held up his hand to her, moving his fingers, as if twirling something between them. After a few seconds a quill appeared between his middle finger and ring. Proud of the magic he'd preformed, he passed the quill to her, saying, “The longer you wait the harder it's going to be to face.”

She nodded, taking the quill and turning to the stack of parchment in front of her. Anticipating her next thought he put his hand to the table in front of her and brought it up slowly, leaving a bottle of green ink in its wake. She looked over at him and he smirked, “Don't be such a show off,” Ginny chided, though he could hear in her voice that she was amused, causing his smirk to grow.

Her head shook as she looked away from him, as if she couldn't believe the arrogance in his smirk; seconds later though, she very quietly asked him, “Where did you learn to control your wandless magic so well?”

“It was the best way to kill those long hours in the Slytherin common room,” he answered, “not to mention it was a great way to show off.”

“I suppose that is what Slytherins would do with their time,” Ginny reasoned sarcastically, filling the tip of the quill with ink and beginning the paperwork in front of her. “In Gryffindor we foolishly did our class work and spent time with our friends.”

“Idiots, all of you,” Draco declared, eliciting a small laugh from Ginny. The room around them was amazingly quiet, and it grew quieter as Ginny concentrated on the paperwork in front of her.

With Ginny engrossed in her work Draco took a moment to look around the room. Harry and Hermione were hovering near the fireplace, engrossed in a debate of whispers. He decided he probably didn't want to know what they were discussing. Molly and Arthur were sitting at the far end of the table, fussing over their granddaughter who was still sleeping Arthur's arms. It was good that they were there. It was good for Ginny to be surrounded by people who cared about her and her daughter.

He looked back to Ginny, to see what progress she'd made, and found himself staring at her. Noticing the soft curve of her face, the three freckles that looked like an earring coming down in a line below her ear, the small scar at the corner of her eye. All the little things he hadn't thought of in six years were suddenly bombarding his mind. He'd once known every inch of her body, very intimately, and he'd loved every freckle, every dimple, and every scar.

For a fleeting moment, he thought that maybe he was remembering these things because Harry had brought the subject up, but Draco quickly brushed that thought away. He'd stopped himself from thinking of Ginny during his years with Pauline so he could be happy, so he could focus on what he had instead of what he'd lost. Now however, with Pauline gone, he couldn't stop himself, especially with Ginny right next to him. Guilt surged through him at the thought of Pauline; he shouldn't be thinking about another woman, he'd only just lost the wife he loved, the mother of his child.

“Draco,” Ginny whispered, pulling him out of his thoughts, “you've been staring at me, ear for the past fifteen minutes.”

“Sorry,” he apologized quickly, looking away from her ear, “I got lost in thought.”

“I could tell,” she told him, “my ear isn't nearly that interesting.”

“Depends on who's looking at it,” he explained as his stomach gave a loud rumble.

“You never did eat did you?” She asked and then answering herself said, “Eat, I'll be at this paperwork a bit longer.”

“I think I will,” he said, pulling a plate towards himself and filling it with food. “I haven't really eaten a proper meal since I got here,” he admitted, casting a warming charm on his stone cold food before he started in on it. Hermione wasn't a terribly good cook, certainly no where near as good as Ginny's mother, but the food tasted marvelous. It probably had something to do with the fact that he was so hungry; whatever the reason he loved it, eating it all much quicker then he should.

“You'll give yourself a stomachache if you keep eating like that,” Molly said in a very motherly fashion.

“Or choke yourself,” Ginny commented, slashing her signature across the bottom line of the last piece of parchment in her small stack. “And I'm finished,” she added reorganizing the finished papers. “It's over,” she said quietly, looking somewhat sadly at the paperwork, “I'm not married anymore.” Draco, the only person who heard her, reached over and gave her a one armed hug of comfort.

She turned to him, dropping the papers on the table, and wrapping her arms around his waist. “I'm glad it's over,” she insisted looking up at him, “I just thought that once I was married it would last the rest of my life.”

“Most of us think that,” Draco said reassuringly, “but this marriage was no good for you.”

“I know,” she promised him, “I'll just have to pick better next time.”

“Ginny,” Arthur started uncomfortably, interrupting Draco and Ginny's tender moment, made awkward by the presence of five other people. Draco pulled his arm away from Ginny as she let go of him, pulling back and looking over at her father. “If you're done with all that I can take it in a file it for you,” he offered, passing Melena to Molly as he got off the bench.

“Thanks Dad,” Ginny said smiling up at Arthur. He gathered up the paperwork and pictures on the table.

“We'll have this over and done in no time,” Arthur insisted before disapparating.

“You're father will see this settled Ginny dear,” Molly insisted, “don't you worry about that.”

“I'm not, I know he'll -” Ginny started, but the rest of her sentence was cut off by the loud, angry crack of her brother Ron apparating into the kitchen.

Ron, who appeared with his back to Ginny, Draco, and Molly, looked quickly down the room, found Harry and Hermione still standing near the fireplace, and started talking at top speed, “It's over,” he said hotly. “Done. My career is over; you are looking at an unemployed wizard.” It was hard to tell if he was happy or angry about it.

“What are you talking about Ron?” Harry asked, walking towards his best mate.

“The team,” Ron elaborated, throwing his hands up as if Harry should know this. “It's over, I've resigned.”

“You resigned?!” Harry asked.

“I had to! They wanted me to go to some training retreat for a month. No contact at all with people not on the team. They wanted me away from my boys for a month!”

“A month, blimey you lot must really have slipped off your game in the off-season.”

Ron shook his head, “No, it was meant to be a bonding thing. They've brought four kids up from the reserves and they wanted the team to bond. That's why we were to be cut off from everyone else. I told them I couldn't stay away from my wife and the boys that long. They told me I had no choice, so I quit,” Ron said throwing his arms up.

“Ron,” Hermione gasped, “you left the team just like that?”

“I told them I would,” he said, “I told them my family came first and they didn't listen. So, I quite.”

“You look like you're about to faint,” Hermione commented.

“I feel like I can't breathe,” Ron said back, “I quit my job. My family has no income.”

“But you've been saving,” Harry said, “you'll be all right.”

“We'll be fine, but we just bought the house, and I don't know what I'm going to do, we can't just live off our savings, we'll be broke by the time the boys start Hogwarts. I have to find another job, but I'm not qualified for anything else.”

Molly scoffed, “You're as qualified as the next wizard. You never were an idiot Ron, you just never applied yourself.” Ron nearly jumped out of his skin at his mother's voice; he hadn't noticed her in the room at all. Draco was amazed that she'd stayed quiet as long as she had. He would have expected her to jump in and start offering advice the second Ron had mentioned a problem, but today she'd held back, for whatever reason.”

“How long have you been there?” Ron asked turning to look at his mother.

“Most of the morning,” Molly informed him calmly, stroking Melena's cheek softly.

“Who's that?” He questioned, looking at the baby in his mother's arms, his worries temporarily forgotten.

“Your niece,” Ginny said with a bit of an indignant laugh.

“When did you get here?” he asked, turning to look at Ginny, but he didn't wait for her answer. The second Ron saw Draco he focused his attention on the blonde. “What the hell are you doing here? Get away from my sister!”

“Ron calm down,” Ginny insisted, rising off the bench. Ron didn't move, he kept his eyes fixed on Draco, as if the blonde was likely to suddenly jump up and attack everyone in the room. “Fine, you won't calm down maybe you'll listen. I got here last night, after Daniel attacked me.”

“What?!” Ron asked finally turning his attention to his sister. “Are you all right? Is Melena all right?”

“I'm fine,” Ginny said, “now, and he didn't hurt Melena,”

“He hurt you? I'll kill him!”

“Get in line,” Draco mumbled.

Ron glared at Draco, “You stay out of this; it has nothing to do with you.”

“Neither of you is going to do anything.” Ginny insisted, “That's taken care of.”

Ron nodded, “Fine,” he said reluctantly. “Then what the hell is he doing here? Where's your wife?”

Draco exhaled sharply, “My wife,” he said tightly, glaring at Ron, “is dead. She and my daughter were killed.”

The redhead deflated quickly, look away uncomfortably. “Sorry,” he muttered under his breath. “But that doesn't explain why you came here,” Ron continued stubbornly, turning to Harry, “You know what he did, why did you let him stay here?”

“He had no where else to go,” Harry said simply, “and grudges only hold for so much.”

“What a day,” Ron grumbled, sinking down onto the bench across from Draco. “How is Daniel being taken care of? Hired an assassin?”

“No,” Ginny said, amused by how quickly her brother jumped from on thing to another. “I'm having -” but again her words were cut short by the noise of an apparition. Arthur had returned.

“That was quick,” Ginny commented, worried that something had gone wrong since her father had come back so quickly.

“It didn't take much, one look at the photos and the annulment was granted, as was full custody of Melena. And Daniel's already on his way to Azkaban.”

“They caught him that quickly?” Ron asked, sounding a little disappointed. He'd probably been hoping that there would be a search and that he'd be allowed to volunteer.

“He was already in jail, muggle jail,” Arthur explained, “the please men-”

“Police men,” Hermione corrected gently.

“Yes, never get that right, the police men arrested him last night. He was driving his car drunk and tried to attack the police men when they stopped him.”

“So it's really over?” Ginny asked unbelieving.

“It's really over,” Arthur echoed reassuringly. “You did the right thing Ginny, you and Melena will be safe now.”

“Thank you Dad. For everything.”

He smiled at her, “Of course,” he said without hesitation, “anything else I can do to help you?”

Ginny shook her head, “No, I've everything I need,” she promised.

“I should go,” Ron said suddenly getting up from the table, “I have to tell Luna the news.”

“What news?” Arthur asked.

“Mum, can you tell Dad?” Ron asked, “Luna was expecting me fifteen minutes ago, she'll be worried.” Molly nodded, “Thanks Mum, I'll see you lot Saturday.” There was a round of goodbyes from everyone except Draco and Ron disappeared.

The room was quiet for a while after Ron left, the only sound coming from the leaky faucet in the sink and little Melena who was beginning to stir. It was Hermione who finally broke the silence, “I think, if everything is settled, I'll go get Lily and James.”

“Oh Hermione you should,” Ginny insisted, “knowing them they're driving George and Lauren mad with questions about what's going on.”

Hermione nodded, “They probably are, and Lauren certainly doesn't need the stress.” She squeezed Harry's hand, and told him, “I'll be back in twenty minutes.” He smiled in response and she disappeared.

“We should probably go too,” Molly announced, “I have things to get ready for Saturday. If you're sure you don't need anything Ginny.”

Ginny shook her head, “No Mum, I'm all right,” she insisted.

“Only if you're absolutely sure,” Molly said getting up from the table.

“I am Mum, but I'll floo if I need anything,” Ginny said, taking Melena from her Molly.

“You promise?” Molly questioned.

“I swear,” Ginny promised, smiling at her mother's concern; there was no end to Molly's concern for her children and there probably never would be.

“Draco,” Molly said, turning her attention to the blonde. As if he'd been shocked, Draco jumped up from the bench, standing in front of the matriarch. “You'll take care of her,” she said, putting her hand on his shoulder.

“Yes,” he promised without hesitation. She smiled patting him affectionately on the shoulder, as she turned away he could have sworn she said something like `always such a good man.'

“We'll see you on Saturday,” Arthur said and he and Molly disappeared.

“I think,” Ginny said looking at Melena, “that it is time for you to be changed.”

“Let me do it,” Draco offered.

“You want to change my daughter?” Ginny questioned.

Draco nodded, “I've not done it in years, but I'm sure I still remember how.”

“If you'd like to, be my guest,” Ginny said handing Melena to Draco. The little girl was awake now, squirming uncomfortably in her soiled diaper.

“Don't worry little beauty,” Draco said comfortingly as Melena opened her mouth to cry, “I'll get you out of that nappy and you'll be clean again.” His words did nothing to calm her. The second he'd finished speaking she let out a small whimper before releasing her attention grabbing `change me' cry. Draco sighed. “One thing I'll never miss about babies,” he said to Ginny, walking out of the kitchen.

“I have a feeling this one will be vocal all her life,” Ginny said proudly, following after Draco.

Back in the room they were sharing Draco found that changing a diaper was exactly what he remembered it to be. Luckily, since Melena was still drinking her mother's milk, there wasn't much of an odor to deal with. Melena, for her part, squirmed very little; watching Draco carefully as he cleaned her and re-diapered her. There was a look in her eyes that reminded him of her mother, that look that somehow meant she knew everything about him, just by looking at him. It was truly eerie.

As she was staring up at him, he noticed the blue-green color of her eyes; the same blue-green color Violette's eyes had been before they settled on a startling green. “What beautiful eyes you have,” Draco told the little girl, buttoning her back into her sleeper.

“They are, aren't they,” Ginny said happily, from over by the window. She was looking fondly at Draco and her daughter, watching the way he talked to Melena and played with her hands that were reaching up in an uncontrolled way.

“They'll be green,” he announced.

“You think so?”

He nodded, tickling the bottom of Melena's foot with his finger, making her gurgle joyfully.“Trust me,” he insisted. “She looks just like you,” he told Ginny, picking the wiggling baby up and walking the length of the room to stand behind her. “I have a feeling you'll be quite popular with the boys.”

“Oh don't say that,” she said, turning back towards him, “I dread the day she brings someone like you home.”

“She's only three weeks old and your already dreading things,” he gasped in mock surprise.

She sighed, “Everyone keeps saying she looks just like me, my mother says she acts just like I did; I know what kind of man she'll be attracted to.”

“I'm sure you mean that as a good thing,” Draco said.

“No, I don't,” she said honestly, “It's dangerous to love someone like you,” she explained looking back out the window.

“Ginny, I -” He started to say, but was distracted by her suddenly pulling open the window. She looked down to the alleyway below, and then, pulling her wedding and engagement rings off her left hand, threw them out the window. A few seconds later they heard the distant clinking of the rings hitting the cobble stoned ground below.

“There, it's done,” she declared, “I hope someone who could use the money finds them and sells them.” She closed the window and turned back to Draco and took the now sleeping Melena from him. She took the baby across the room to her crib and put her down to bed. “Draco,” Ginny started turning back to look at him, “tell me what happened.”

“Ginny, you've been through so much, I don't want to -”

“Don't,” she said sharply, “don't try and protect me or whatever you think you're doing by not telling me. You've seen me at my absolute lowest, and you helped me start towards getting better. Let me do the same for you, I know you want to tell me.”

Draco nodded; he did want to tell her. He was just afraid. Afraid that she'd judge him for what he'd done; afraid she'd see him differently. But he had to tell her; he couldn't keep it a secret from her, he didn't want to. “All right, I'll tell you, but you might want to sit down first.” She nodded, but didn't move.

Swallowing the lump in his throat that seemed to come up every time he told this story, Draco began at the beginning. He told her about the night his family had been taken from their home and how they'd been tortured. She listened to his story quietly, though he could tell she was holding back.

The moment his story had finished, it seemed, Ginny had crossed the room and was wrapping him in her arms. He hugged her back, feeling her body sink into his. He kissed the top of her head tenderly and felt her shift her weight, as if trying to move even closer to him. “Ginny, we're going to be all right, both of us.”

“Yes,” she agreed, shifting her weight again, “we will.”

AN: That's that part of the story done. Now that we've got their lives in order I promise Harry, Hermione, and their relationship will be back in the forefront of everything. Hope you enjoyed, review and let me know what you thought.

I will respond to every ones reviews of chapter 30 on the review page, probably tomorrow when I have a bit more time.

295

Everything You Ever Wanted

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32. We Could

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.

318

Everything You Ever Wanted

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33. My Funny Valentine

AN: I know a Valentine chapter is a little out of season, but I don't think you guys want to wait for February for this.

My Funny Valentine

“I still don't understand why we have to do this today,” Hermione said as a frazzled looking man in finely pressed robes ran into her, passing in such a hurry she doubted he even noticed he'd hit her with his shoulder. Ginny reached out to steady Hermione, stopping her friend from tumbling over entirely. “We've only been engaged for three weeks, I still have loads of time. I haven't thought of any of the details, everything is so far away.”

“You've thought of one detail,” Ginny reminded the brunette, pushing her along Diagon Alley, “the date, for less then four months from the day you got engaged. So three weeks is a long time to not fix any details.”

“Only four months?” Hermione questioned, “That can't be right.”

“Less,” Ginny repeated, “you got engaged on the 21st of January, you want to get married the 12th of May. That is less then four months.”

“But its Valentines Day,” Hermione protested, “Diagon Alley is crazy today.”

“The wedding boutique won't be,” Ginny insisted, “today Diagon Alley is full of wizards who forgot to get gifts,” she pointed out as another man nearly walked into them, “besides nothing says you have to buy a dress today. I just think it'll be a good idea for you to look, start getting things in order. Trust me, you need to do this.”

“I just,” Hermione said stopping to turn and face Ginny, “I still don't really believe it. I mean, I'm marrying Harry,” she whispered excitedly.

“Not without a dress your not,” Ginny whispered back, mocking Hermione's excited tone. “Hard to believe you could forget anyway,” Ginny said taking Hermione's left hand and holding it up between them, “with this thing weighing you down.”

Hermione laughed, looking down at her engagement ring, “it is rather weighty yes,” she agreed, wiggling her finger so the stones caught the light; purple and pure white flashes danced across her hand and reflected back off the simple silver band.

“But you love it,” Ginny said giving Hermione a sly look.

yuHermione's smile widened, “I do; it's so beautiful. I'm not sure why Harry has decided purple is my color, but it's wonderful all the same.”

“It is beautiful,” Ginny praised, “but come on, you can admire the ring anytime, right now you have a dress to see to.”

“I'm coming,” Hermione said as Ginny started down the road again, pulling her brunette friend along behind her. “You don't have to pull my arm off,” Hermione called, but Ginny kept hold, pushing the way through the crowd, which was, now Hermione noticed, full of men. The few witches who were there, apart from Hermione and Ginny, were moving carefully through the crowd, mindful of the wizards rushing around without thought.

Finally, three stores down from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, they reached the wedding boutique. Hermione was barley able to read the sign, Glamour Gowns, before Ginny ushered her through the door. Ginny released her hold on Hermione as the door closed behind them.

As the redhead had predicted the small boutique was practically empty, there was one other women, girl really, who was looking at wedding dresses in the far corner with what appeared to be her entire wedding party. They were gathered around a small dais where a magically conducted manikin was modeling a short puff of a dress, which the young bride-to-be was gushing over. Hermione looked at the dress doubtfully; if the store sold that kind of dress surely they wouldn't have anything the brunette would like.

Hermione was going to suggest they leave when a blonde assistant caught sight of them and strode over, smiling broadly. “Hello,” the assistant said brightly, “my name is Gabrielle. How can I help you two today?”

It was Ginny who answered, “My friend here,” she said, looping her arm through Hermione's, “is getting married in May and needs to look at some dresses.”

Gabrielle's smile faltered for the smallest second before she forced it back onto her face, “May? That's not very far off.”

“No,” Hermione muttered, “it isn't,” her attention was drawn back to the group in the corner. The girl was in the dress now, if it was possible it looked worse on the bride then it had on the manikin.

Gabrielle's gaze followed Hermione and she laughed knowingly, “Horrid thing isn't it?” The blonde whispered. Her honesty shocked Hermione into looking back at the assistant. “The girl designed it herself, I think when she was twelve, but I shouldn't talk out of school.” Hermione smiled, the assistant's honesty did a great deal to alleviate her unease. “You're friend tells me you're in need of a dress.”

“Yes, I am,” Hermione confirmed, “I'm not sure I want to buy anything today, but I would like to look.”

“Looking is the first step,” Gabrielle said, rubbing her hands together, “do you have any idea what kind of style you'd like?”

“No,” Hermione admitted, “I don't, I haven't thought of it much.”

“Well,” the blonde assistant started, frowning momentarily, “why do you and your friend have a quick look around and if you see anything you'd like to try on, you can just let me know.”

“We'll do that,” Ginny said smiling as she stirred Hermione towards the walls that were lined with dresses. “I think she thinks you're being difficult.”

“I don't mean to be,” the brunette insisted, running her hand along the line of dresses in front of them, “I honestly haven't thought about it.”

“All the more reason to have a look,” the redhead countered, pulling a dress out so she could see the detail. “I will never get over how different you are?”

Hermione stopped, turning to her friend, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing bad,” Ginny promised, “It's just most girls have there wedding envisioned by the age of six.”

Hermione shrugged, “I use to think about it,” she admitted, “but that was before I found out about Hogwarts. Then there was magic to study, then there was a war to fight, and just after that I had the twins to think about. I guess I just never had the time.”

“What about this?” Ginny asked, pulling at an ivory color gown. It was made of a durable but delicate fabric, the neckline, cut in a V shape, was trimmed with roses.

“No,” Hermione said glancing at it for half a second.

Ginny frowned, “Surely you thought about it once you and Harry started dating,” she said, continuing their conversation.

“Not really,” she said, pulling forward a dress that could only be described as frumpy. “I thought about us being married,” the brunette elaborated, “where we would live, if we would have more children, what they would be like; I thought about things like that, not the wedding itself.”

“This is gorgeous,” Ginny said, taking a dress off the rack and holding it up in front of Hermione, “you at least have to try this on.”

The brunette nodded, “it is very pretty,” she admitted, reaching out to feel the fabric. With its full skirt and lace-up bodice this dress was very much what Hermione thought of when she thought of wedding gowns. Stark white and soft as velvet, the fabric screamed bride.

“So we'll add this to the maybes,” Ginny said, “which makes one,” she added under her breath.

Gabrielle appeared at their side before Hermione could respond to Ginny's comment, “Would you like to try that one on?” The assistant asked, her selling smile reaching from one ear to the other. Hermione nodded in response, taking the dress from Ginny and handing it to the blonde. “I'll go put this in a dressing room,” Gabrielle said whisking the gown away.

Once she was gone Ginny leaned in and whispered, “She overanxious isn't she?”

Hermione nodded in agreement, “Must be an expensive dress.”

“Probably,” the redhead agreed, “with the way she rushed over. I didn't even look, is there a price rage?”

Hermione shrugged walking past a cluster of off-white colored dresses, “We talked about a budget, a little, but Harry kept insisting I could spend all the money in his vault as long as it made me happy.”

“That's nice,” Ginny appraised taking another dress from the rack. She held this one in front of Hermione like she had with the last, but decided she didn't like it, hanging it up again without asking the brunette to assess it.

Hermione smiled, “It is, unnecessary, but nice,” pulling a simple slip dress forward. “I like this.”

“Very simple,” the redhead said, though it didn't sound like a negative comment, “It would be perfect for a small wedding.”

The brunette sighed, “I don't know that we'll be able to manage a small wedding,” she lamented, letting the silky fabric slip through her fingers so the dress hung limp against the other dresses. “There are so many people who are going to expect to be invited.”

“Well,” Ginny started, taking the dress off the shelf, “he is Harry Potter, and you are the women he's marrying. Your life is going to be crazy, but this wedding isn't about who expects to be invited,” the redhead insisted holding the gown out to her friend. “It's about you and Harry, that's it, end of story. Invite who you want to be there, no one else. Try on the dresses you want because it is your wedding and you only get married once,” she said, adding sadly, “if you're lucky.”

Again it seemed the instant Hermione had decided to try the dress on Gabrielle was at her side asking about it. “How are you?” Hermione questioned when the assistant had left them again.

Ginny looked over at the brunette, shrugging her shoulders casually even as she began to smile. “It's hard to say. I'm happy,” she insisted, “I'm glad I went through with the annulment, but I still haven't got used to the idea that I'm not married anymore. Growing up with my parents it's hard not to think that marriage will last forever.”

Hermione nodded, though she knew she couldn't really understand what Ginny was going through, “And how are you and Draco?”

Ginny's smile widened and she quickly looked away as she began to blush. “We are, well, we're great. We haven't gone out, as you know, I'm not ready to leave Melena for that long yet, but we've talked a lot. It's almost like we were never apart. I love him Hermione,” Ginny told her friend, forgetting that her entire face was bright red. “I know it's weird, with everything, but it's true.”

“It's not weird,” the brunette dismissed, reaching over to hug Ginny, “It's wonderful that you're happy.”

“Yes,” Ginny agreed, “I didn't realize how unhappy I really was. But today is not about me, today is about a wedding dress for you, so let's get on with things.” And she turned her attention back to the dresses in front of them.

They took twenty minutes to go around the entire store. Hermione passed over entire sections because they looked too frilly, though Ginny did talk her into trying one dress with an overly full skirt and lots of trim. The redhead insisted that to rule the style out she at least had to try it once, but Hermione was sure she would look like a fool. In the end they selected seven dresses Hermione wanted to try on and another three she was trying on to please Ginny. Despite the redhead's reassuring words about the dress being for Hermione and no one else, Ginny wouldn't let Hermione off the hook without trying on the dresses she'd picked out, “for fun.”

Their choices made, Gabrielle showed them to the dressing room she'd put aside. The dresses were hung neatly on a rack on wheels, pushed against the far wall of the room. Hermione looked them all over carefully again. She reached out to let her fingers dance across them, making herself smile. She really was getting married; getting married to the man she loved, the father of her children.

Picking a dress at random Hermione did the best she could to get into it by herself. The task proved difficult, as she'd randomly picked the first dress, the one that laced up in the back. After a few minute of futile struggling, Hermione grabbed her wand from the pocket of her discarded jeans and did up the laces by magic. The dress was too big for her, though that could be altered she was sure, and she didn't like the fullness of the skirt. She was about to undo the lacing when Ginny called out to her.

“I'm just changing,” Hermione responded.

“Have you got one of the dresses on?” Ginny asked, though Hermione was sure she knew the answer.

“Yes, but it isn't me at all.”

“I'd like to see for myself if you please,” Ginny called, “as your friend, it is my job to help you pick the perfect dress.”

“Nothing,” Hermione started, pulling open the dressing room door, “you can say will convince me that this is the perfect dress.”

Ginny nodded, “Oh you're right, not you at all. I had to be sure, you know the dress I wore?”

“It was gorgeous,” Hermione said remembering the pictures Ginny had sent from her wedding.

“Mum convinced me it was the dress for me,” Ginny informed her friend. “I was sure the skirt was too big, and the beading would draw everyone's attention. But Mum pointed out that it was impossible to properly judge the size of the skirt in the dressing room, and that people's attention was supposed to be on me. I'm here to help you with that; make sure you don't pass on something that could be gorgeous.”

“Thanks,” Hermione said, fidgeting with the top of the dress. It felt like it was sliding down her body, but really it was only falling a fraction of an inch. “But since we agree that this one isn't it I think I'll try another one.” She gathered the skirt up, it feeling bigger by the second, and went back into the dressing room.

The dress proved much easier to get out of then to get into, but that might have been an illusion cased by the relief Hermione was feeling now that she was free of it. She hung the dress back up, pushing it to one end. To get it out of the way she next tried on the dress Ginny had picked out with the overly full skirt. She knew getting into it that it wouldn't be the one fro her, but she had promised to try it on.

The skirt of the dress seemed to expand as she stood looking at it in the mirror. Afraid that it might fill the room if she stood there any longer, Hermione pulled open the door. There was an instant no from Ginny, whose repulsed face Hermione was sure she'd remember for the rest of her life, and the brunette retreated to the dressing room. Hermione happily added it to the `no' end of the rack and selected another; the slip dress she'd liked.

It was comfortable, that was the first thing she noticed. She enjoyed the feel, but it was too simple; she simply didn't feel at all like a bride. “I look like a timid virgin,” she declared stepping out of the dressing room again.

“Yes you do,” Ginny confirmed, “but you can go in that direction if you want.”

Hermione laughed, “I think my children being part of the wedding party might give the game away.”

“Probably,” Ginny agreed, “It looks beautiful on you though. You cold buy it and wear it on your wedding night.” Hermione turned thoughtfully to look at herself in the mirror on the wall.

“Somehow, I think Harry might like to see me in something a bit less formal.”

“True,” Ginny laughed, “he'd probably like you to strip off the dress to revile a whole lot of nothing.” Hermione laughed with the redhead, stepping back into the dressing room.

The next dress Hermione chose was another slip dress, which she liked. It felt more formal, but it too had missed the mark. It bunched strangely at the hips, apparently to give some definition to the simple design, but it made Hermione come off as hippy. Not the look any woman wanted on any day, especially not their wedding day.

Ginny again agreed with Hermione's assessment, sending the brunette in to change for the fifth time. The next dress Hermione picked, she couldn't remember seeing before. It looked amazing on the hanger, but on her body it felt like a second skin, its silky soft fabric clinging to her curves in every way flattering. Hermione felt truly a bride in this dress.

She had barley opened the door when she heard Ginny gasp, “Oh Hermione, that's the one.”

Half an hour later, Ginny and Hermione returned home, Hermione with her dress in her arms. “Now,” Hermione said as they appeared in the front hall, looking fondly at the dress bag she was holding, “all we have to do is find a dress for the bride's maids.” The hall was empty, but Hermione could hear the clear sounds of Harry and the twins upstairs, they were playing a game of some sort, most likely Gobstones by the noise.

“And plan every other detail, then your wedding will be set,” Ginny joked, smiling as they started up the stairs.

Hermione nodded, “True, but I think I have a better idea of where the wedding is going now that I have the dress. Thank you for making me go out today.”

“You're welcome,” Ginny assured her, “It's my job after all.”

“Can you hide this in your room?” The brunette asked her friend, holding out the dress bag, “I don't think Harry will look, but I don't want to take my chance.”

“Of course,” Ginny said quickly, talking the bag from Hermione.

“You two find something?” Draco asked. They both looked up and saw the blonde standing on the landing above them looking down at them.

“Yes,” Ginny confirmed, “she found the perfect dress. It looks like it was made for her.”

Draco nodded, “I'm sure it will look wonderful.”

“It does,” the redhead said. She smiled up at him, taking the steps that separated them. “Happy Valentine's Day love,” she whispered to him, rising onto her tiptoes to kiss him softly.

“Hermione,” Draco started, wrapping his arms around Ginny's back. He pulled her body into his, lifting her up so she was level with him. “If you don't mind, I think I'm going to steal my girlfriend away.”

Hermione smiled, “I don't mind, we're done anyway.” Ginny wrapped her arms and legs around Draco's body moaning softly as she kissed him again. Draco groaned, shifting her weight as he turned and continued up the stairs. Hermione watched the two of them disappear, her dress, still clutched safely in Ginny's hand, hitting Draco softly in the back with every step he took.

After her talk with Ginny, Hermione's worries about her friend's relationship with Draco quickly went away. She could easily see that their relationship was what both of them needed. They had had a couple fights Hermione knew, hashing over things that had happened in the past, but the fights only seemed to bring them closer. Then there was the simple fact that they were both happy, and really that was the only important thing.

Still smiling, Hermione walked towards the noise that was her family. She found them in the drawing room, Lily and James playing Gobstones, Harry sitting on the couch behind his son, trying to help James strategize. “Hello `Mione,” Harry said, as she crossed the room towards him, not looking up from the game. “Back already?”

“Yes,” Hermione confirmed, “it didn't take long.”

He looked over at her as she too up the seat next to him, “Find anything?” She smiled, nodding happily. “Good,” he said, wrapping his arm around her back and kissing her on the cheek. “So maybe we'll make some plans?”

“Yes,” she insisted, “we will.” He smiled, kissed her on the cheek again, and turned his attention back to the game, his arm still holding her. “Not playing favorites are we?” She questioned after he gave James another tip about angling.

“Yes,” Harry answered without hesitation, “Lily doesn't need any help, she's on a winning streak.”

Hermione laughed, “I suppose that makes it okay.”

The Gobstones battle, for it had escaladed to the point of war, lasted another half hour before they decided it was a draw. They'd both lost as many Gobstones as they'd won and were covered in every variety of viscous material the stones spit out. Laughing at the fun they'd had the twins gathered up their Gobstones and left to get themselves cleaned up.

Once Harry was alone with Hermione he leaned back on the couch, bringer her body down on top of his as he started kissing her fully. “Happy Valentine's Day, Valentine,” he murmured between kisses.

“I've never had a proper Valentine,” she admitted, pulling her arm from between their bodies so she could run both her hands through his hair as she kissed him passionately, slowly opening her lips to invite him in. He moaned, slipping his tongue out to explore her mouth as his hand slipped under her shirt to explore her back. She repositioned her legs so they were on either side of his hips, propping her arms up on either side of his body so she was hovering over him. Harry was just reaching up to undo her bra when Hermione stopped him.

“We shouldn't be doing this, should we?” He questioned, letting his hand slid slowly down her back.

“Not here,” she answered, “not now, the twins might reappear at any moment.” She reminded him, moving her legs to one side of him again, to remove any temptation. Hermione had every desire to finish what they had started, but the thought of her children walking in mortified her and the idea of explaining sex to them still made her feel uneasy. Since the drawing room door didn't have a lock it was just simpler to squelch their amorous feelings and wait for a better time.

“That did it,” Harry muttered, obviously referring to his deflating arousal.

Hermione smiled kindly at him, “Later,” she promised, laying down next to him on the couch, resting her head on his chest. “Happy Valentine's Day to you too, by the way.”

“Thanks,” he said, shifting his hips so she could lay her legs on the sofa next to his. “So tell me about his dress of yours.”

“I will not,” she responded, “That's bad luck.”

“I have a feeling,” he started, reaching up to stroke her hair, “that if the two of us can make it though all the things we've been though, a little superstition isn't going to affect our luck. But that isn't what I mean anyway, I meant, is it simple, should I buy a tiara for you to wear with it.”

She laughed, “No tiara needed.”

“So it's simple?” He asked.

“It's elegant,” she responded.

Harry sighed, “Such an evil description, doesn't help me at all.”

“The point love,” Hermione pointed out, rubbing soft circles on his chest.

“Figured as much,” he muttered in mock dejection, “So how much of the big day have you planned beyond the dress?”

“Well I was thinking,” she started, propping herself up again so she could look at him as she spoke. “For our colors we should do exactly what everyone expects us to and use red and gold; the bridesmaids' dresses red, the groomsmen's ties red, and the flowers red and gold, that kind of thing.”

“Everyone would expect that,” he agreed.

“It symbolizes how we met,” she explained.

He nodded, “I think it's a good idea,” he insisted. “People will expect it yeah, but who cares what they think, we'll make sure it doesn't go over the top. Then we can have the reception in the girl's bathroom.”

Hermione laughed, “I was thinking we could save that for the honeymoon,” she insisted.

“That would be romantic,” he appraised, “we'd just have to be sure Myrtle didn't float up thought one of the stalls and kill the moment.”

She shuddered, “and here I thought the kids catching us would be horrible.”

“Seriously though, where are we going to have the wedding?”

“I'd love to have it in the Great Hall at Hogwarts,” she said wistfully, “But we couldn't manage it with school being in session.”

“We could push the date back,” He suggested, “I mean push it back a month and the school year will be over.”

“No,” she said shaking her head, “it has to be May 12th.”

“Why?” Harry asked, “I don't mind, we can get married whatever day you want, but if we pushed it back you could have it in the place you want.”

“May 12th was my parent's anniversary,” she explained. “I just want them to be part of our lives somehow. I named the twins for your parents, because it was the perfect choice, so now I want this to remember them.”

“May 12th it is,” he said smiling kindly at her. “How about this? We get married in front of that cluster of birch trees by the lake.”

“Oh,” Hermione sighed, “that would be beautiful. And we could have the reception out on the lawn under a tent.”

“We could,” he agreed, pulling her down so she could lie on his chest again, “I'll write McGonagall in the morning. Make sure there isn't some kind of rule against it.”

She smiled burying her face in the folds of his sweater. She sighed, contentedly, breathing in the innately male scent of Harry. “Married at Hogwarts,” she said thoughtfully. She could see them in her mind's eye, standing near the lake's edge exchanging their vows. It was a perfectly romantic setting, not to mention the sentimental value of getting married at Hogwarts. It was such a big part of their lives. They'd met there, became friends there, fought for their lives there, and conceived their children there; it was the perfect place.

“Married,” his voice said above her making his chest rumble. “I've spent many years dreaming about marrying you,” he confessed to her, stroking her hair softly. “I'm so happy it's really happening.”

She looked up at him, “I love you Harry,” she chocked, as a tear slid down her cheek.

“I love you too `Mione,” he promised, “I have for a long time, I'm glad I finally have you. Though you don't much like the idea of being had do you?”

She smiled, “I love being had, when I'm being had by you.” She realized instantly what she said and her cheeks began to flush. To make it better Harry started laughing, a deep rumbling laugh that shook them both. “That came out wrong;” she said her blush deepening with every second of his laughter, “but you know what I meant!”

He nodded, trying to calm his laughter, “I do,” he confirmed, “I'm sorry. I just love it when you say things like that,” he explained, cupping his hand to the side of her cheek, “meant or not. I especially like it when you blush.”

“You're cruel,” she declared. She tried to move her head, to hide her embarrassment by burying her fast in his chest, but his hand stayed on her face, preventing her from looking away from him.

“I don't mean to be cruel,” he promised, stroking his thumb against the heated flesh of her red cheek. “It was just one of those moments that made me realize why I love you.”

She smiled, some of the red on her cheeks receding as she took in what he said, “And why do you love me?”

“So many reasons,” he responded, “but just then I realized that I love how normal you are,” he explained, tucking a stray bit of hair behind her ear, “How normal I am when I'm with you. I don't have to be Harry Potter, I can just be Harry and you'll love me anyway.”

She smiled, pulling his hand out of her hair she brought it to her lips and kissed it softly, “I love you because you are just Harry, you're you and you don't pretend to be anyone else.” She kissed his hand once more before dropping her head back onto his chest. “But you're allowed to use that Harry Potter status anytime it can come in handy,” she said.

“I'll keep that in mind,” he told her, rubbing her back softly.

“Like when there is a long line at the bookstore,” she elaborated, making him chuckle.

“I'll just sweep my hair back so they can see my scar and whisk you to the front of the line.”

“Exactly, but you know we mustn't use this power frivolously.”

“Never,” he insisted and they both laughed.

As their laughter subsided they settled into a peaceful silence. The only noise Hermione could here was the soft, almost melodic, thumbing of Harry's heart beneath her right ear and the quiet ticking of the clock in the far corner of the room. The two beats were keeping in almost perfect time with each other, quickly lulling Hermione to sleep while happy images of her impending marriage danced in front of her eyes. She imagined them dancing together, their first dance as husband and wife, with their family and friends surrounding them.

She was jerked awake some twenty minutes later by a loud crash upstairs, followed by the James and Lily yelling about something. On instinct Hermione was on her feet and halfway to the door before Harry had even registered what noise had awoken him. It took him half a minute to understand what he was hearing and then he was by her side; the two of them heading up to the second floor together.

Lily and James were on the landing, standing on either side of a mess; broken glass, water, and shards of flowers were spread allover the floor. The hallway was filled with noise. Lily and James were both saying something at the top of their lungs and there was a shrill cry coming from the room Draco and Ginny were sharing; apparently the crash had also awoken Melena.

“Calm down,” Hermione said, raising her voice above Lily's and James', “What happened?”

It was James who spoke, as Lily continued to cry, for it was obvious now that she was indeed crying, “We were trying to bring down the flowers we got you for Valentine's Day, but the vase slipped.”

“That's all right,” Harry insisted kindly as he moved towards Lily, trying to discover what was making her cry. “It was only an accident, nothing to scream about.”

“But Lily's hand,” James said, pointing to his sister, who was cradling her right hand near her body.

“What happened?” Ginny's asked from down the hallway; she held a now silent Melena in her arms. “Is everything all right?”

“The twins had an accident with a vase,” Hermione explained, “I think Lily's been hurt.” Harry had just reached Lily and was pulling back her hand. Lily gasped painfully and it was easy to see why, there was a long gash running across the length of her small palm. Harry tried to lay her hand flat in his to examine the cut properly, but Lily gasped again and pulled it back towards herself.

“It hurts,” she whimpered to her mother as her tears began to fade, replaced by intermittent sniffles as she tried to regain her composure.

“Come on Lily,” Hermione said motioning for her daughter to walk to her, “we'll get you healed. Harry will you -”

“Yeah, yeah,” Harry interrupted waving her away, “I'll clean this up you take care of Lily.”

Hermione rushed Lily away; hurrying her into the nearest bathroom. She switched on the tap and put her daughter's hand under the cool water. The blood washed away easily enough, flowing Lily's hand as if it and the water were one and the same. Hermione switched off the tap when the water rushing into the sink was completely clear and pulled Lily's hand up so she could see the cut clearly. It was deep, though there was no sign of any glass buried inside, which was lucky.

“Mum it hurts,” Lily repeated, wiggling her fingers uncomfortably.

“I know it hurts,” Hermione said kindly, pulling out her wand. She quickly dried Lily's hand with a burst of hot air before beginning the task of healing the cut. The healing would take a bit of work. She wasn't skilled enough to fix all the damaged layers with once pass of her wand; instead it took her five. But within fifteen minutes Lily's hand was as good as new, with only a faint line marking where the cut had been.

“Better?” Hermione questioned, letting go of Lily's hand once she was satisfied that the job was done.

“Yes,” Lily admitted, “thank you Mum. I'm sorry we spoiled your gift.”

“You didn't spoil anything,” Hermione insisted, running her hand over Lily's hand in a reassuring way “I'm just glad you're all right. Maybe if you're lucky you'll have a scar like your dad.” That made Lily smile, looking down at her hand.

“Really?” Lily asked hopefully.

“It's possible,” Hermione confirmed, “I've never healed a cut quite that deep before, I don't know if there will be a lingering mark or not. Now why don't you head up to your room and get out of those clothes.” Hermione had been so busy worrying about Lily's hand that she hadn't noticed the state her daughter's clothing was in. Lily's shirt and pants were both heavily spotted with blood, and her jeans from the knees down were soaked through.

Lily nodded, looking at her hand as she turned to leave the room. When she was alone in the bathroom Hermione felt herself shudder, an involuntary sigh rushing through her lips. It had been a very scary moment, when Harry had pulled Lily's hand back and Hermione could see it covered in blood. No matter how old the twins got Hermione always felt a rush of fear when they bled.

There injuries were never much, normal scrapes and cuts any child might get, but her first instinct was always to assume the worst. She knew her overreaction had something to do with all the violence she'd seen when she was younger, but knowing that didn't help her much. Over the years she'd learn to control her reactions. When they were toddlers Hermione's reaction's used to be worst then the injured twin's but she was much better about it now.

Harry walked into the bathroom a few minutes after Lily had left it and pulled Hermione quickly into his arms. “That was terrifying,” his voice said from somewhere in her hair, “I've never seen her hurt before.”

“You kept your calm,” she praised, “the best thing when dealing with an injured child.”

“I knew she would be fine,” Harry explained, letting Hermione out of his arms so he could look at her. “I mean I knew that you'd be able to heal her, but all I could think was she was hurt, and all I could see was her blood.”

“I understand the feeling,” she promised, “I still feel that way. But we worked fast, and she didn't lose much blood. Lily's fine now, excited even.”

“Excited?” He questioned doubtfully, “excited for what?”

“The idea of having a scar like her father,” Hermione explained, brushing his hair back to trace the thin line of his scar, “she idolizes you.”

“No,” he dismissed, removing her hand from his forehead and cupping it in his, “she idolizes you, I'm just a passing fade. She's told me she wants to be like you were at school. Top of the year, Prefect, Head Girl; she wants all that.”

Hermione smiled, “That would be wonderful,” she admitted, imagining seeing Lily off to school, the Head Girl badge pinned to the front of her shirt.

“Yeah it would,” Harry agreed, “so do you think the twins have recovered enough for their gifts?”

“I think they might mange to hold themselves together,” she said nodding her head. Harry smiled excitedly, giving her hand a squeeze as he led her from the bathroom.

That night, when the twins had gone to bed, and Draco and Ginny had once again retreated to the room they shared Harry and Hermione took a moment to exchange the gifts they had for each other. Ensconced in their room, a powerful locking charm on the door, Harry was kneeling on the bed clad only in his boxers, while Hermione, covered up by her dressing gown, retrieving something from its hiding place in the wardrobe. She turned to face him, carefully readjusting her dressing gown, with a long box in her hands.

“You got me a bracelet?” He joked, as she walked towards the bed.

“Oh, no, you guessed,” she joked back handing the box to him. “Why don't you open it anyway, hmm, just for fun?” He smiled, taking the box from her. It opened with the customary snap that all jewelry boxes seemed to have revealing a fine designer watch. The watch was silver with a thick band of fine metal links. The face was a moderate size, big enough to be read but small enough that it wouldn't be cumbersome.

“Oh, `Mione, I love it,” he exclaimed, taking the watch from the box to examine it more closely.

She smiled, happy he so enjoyed his gift, “I noticed how ragged your old one was looking so I though this would be perfect.”

“It is,” he promised. “I've never had a watch as nice as this,” he told her, “thank you.”

“You're welcome, but you can look at it later,” she said meaningfully, taking the box back from him. He looked up at her and they shared a meaningful look as she replaced the watch in the box. She smiled at him, walking over to place the box on his bedside table. He shuffled around so he could keep his eyes on her, not sure what she was up to, but knowing that he didn't want to miss it. “I have something else for you,” she told him, positioning herself a few steps away from the bed.

“Oh yes?” He questioned, “but I haven't given you your gift yet,” he reminded her, picking up a small box that had been resting near his leg. She smiled, shaking her head slightly back and forth so her hair floated over her shoulders, and undid the belt of her dressing gown. She pulled in back and let it fall off her shoulder, savoring the expression on Harry's face. His mouth dropped open and he lost his grip on the box in his hand as a low groan escaped his throat.

“Oh `Mione,” he repeated huskily, looking her up and down. She was wearing a red ribbon and only a ribbon, that ran across her chest and down her body, going between her legs and around her hips where it met in the form of a simple bow.

“I thought, that for Valentine's Day, I could wear something a little different,” she said, unable to stop herself from smiling victoriously as he continued to gape at her. “I could change, if you wanted me to,” she said, starting towards the wardrobe.

That caught his attention, “Don't you dare,” he said motioning for her to come back towards him. She did as he wanted, walking up to the foot of the bed. He shuffled around again, moving himself to the foot of the bed. “This is what I love about you. You get embarrassed by implied sex, but you appear in front of me dressed only in ribbon.”

She shrugged, running her fingers through his hair, “so you like your gifts?” She asked though she didn't really need to hear the answer, she could clearly see his approval tenting the front of his shorts.

“Hard to say which I like more,” he assured her, staring at the ribbon spread tight across her chest, barley concealing her nipples. She ran her hand down his cheek, cupping his chin in her hand she pulled it up so he would have to look in her eyes.

“I believe you had something for me,” she said, intentionally prolonging the moment.

“Right,” he muttered, turning back towards the side where the box had dropped from his hand. As he scrambled to retrieve her gift, Hermione moved up onto the bed, sitting up on her knees so that when he turned back they'd be at eyelevel. He seemed surprised to see her so close when he turned back around, but he recovered quickly, handing her the now opened box. Inside the box was a pair of emerald drop earrings, glinting in the soft light.

“They are beautiful,” she appraised, quickly putting them on. “My mother always told me to find a man who could pick out my jewelry.”

“Or steal it,” he countered, making her laugh. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she promised, running her hand down his chest.

“Now tell me how I get you out of this amazing contraption,” he insisted, wrapping one arm behind her back. She smiled seductively, taking his free hand in hers. Slowly she guided his hand down her body till their hands hovered over the bow.

“You simply tug,” she told him, taking the tail of one of the ribbons between two of her fingers, “just there.”

“Just here?” He questioned taking the ribbon in his fingers as she let it go. She nodded a confirmation as he pulled at the ribbon. “What a wonderful idea,” he commented, pulling her body closer to his as he leaned back, bringing them both down onto the bed, Hermione laughing joyously as they fell.

334

Everything You Ever Wanted

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