Dreams Can Come True

MisCard

Rating: R
Genres: Romance
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 5
Published: 21/05/2005
Last Updated: 26/10/2005
Status: completed

Alternate Universe-After finishing top of her class at Beauxbatons, Hermione Granger suffers a terrible loss and ends up moving back to England, where she lived the first ten years of her life. When she crosses paths with the famous Boy-Who-Lived she finds him arrogant and insufferable, while he believes he may have found the girl of his dreams. After convincing her to go out with him Harry realizes, after she reveals her terrible secret, that he can't see her again. Unable to stop thinking about her, Harry decides that their relationship deserves another chance...but can he convince her to give them another try? *Last Chapter has been posted*

Chapters

1. Prologue-Hermione's Story

2. Prologue-Harry's Story

3. Harry Meets Hermione

4. The Date

5. Longing

6. Forged Friendships

7. Life Goes On

8. Confusion

9. Musings, Sweet Gestures and Surprise Reunions

10. Trials and Tribulations

11. Moving Out and...Surprise!!!!

12. Hermione's Wrath

13. Christmas is coming...

14. The Christmas Eve Dinner Party

15. The Christmas Breakfast Fiasco

16. Gifts of Love

17. A New Life Begins

18. Whodunit?

19. The Realization of Dreams

20. The Wedding Of The Century

1. Prologue-Hermione's Story

~A/N>I've been working on this story for a while now, in between my other two stories, and with some reassurance from my friend Poppywillow, I decided to start posting it. I'm going to put up the two-part prologue today and then, since I have over half of it written already, I'll probably update every Saturday morning, so the next update will be next Saturday. This story has been an absolute joy for me to write and I hope you enjoy reading it just as much. Also, I hope to have the new chapter for "The Light Within" posted tomorrow night, and then I'll be working on "The Razors Edge". Sorry it's been so long between updates on both stories, my mind works in strange ways and I end up working on two or three stories at once :) As always, thanks to my brilliant beta Spaz, who's taken time out of her busy life to work on my stories.

The way you're bathed in light
reminds me of that night
God laid me down into your rose garden of
trust
and I was swept away
with nothin' left to say
some helpless fool
yeah I was lost in a swoon of peace
you're all I need to find
so when the time is right
come to me sweetly, come to me
come to me
love will lead us, alright
love will lead us, she will lead us
can you hear the dolphin's cry?
see the road rise up to meet us
it's in the air we breathe tonight
love will lead us, she will lead us

"The Dolphin's Cry"-Live

She had never thought that something like this could happen to her...

Hermione Granger was an intelligent girl, the top of her class at Beauxbatons, and was well liked among the other students. She had attended the Wizarding School for seven years; she had been born and raised in London, England, but the year before she was to start Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, her Father had announced that they would be moving. She had been devastated at first; she had only found out two months earlier that she was a witch, and she had immediately started reading up on her new school. Now, not only was she going to a new school that she knew nothing about, but a new country too.

Hermione had adjusted rather quickly, finding the school and it's students captivating and inviting. She excelled in all of her classes, she mastered the French language and made friends with the girls in her dorm; in her fourth year she became friends with another Muggleborn named Michel Dubois, a fourth year student like her that shared some of her classes. She had noticed him before, he was quite handsome and outgoing; she couldn't believe it when he had approached her one day at lunch and asked to sit with her. From that day forward their friendship grew, and soon it had grown into something much more than friendship; they found themselves deeply in love with each other and inseparable. As the last three years flew by, their relationship grew even more intense and their bond became stronger.

Their final night in the school had been spent together on the couch in their common room; they had been discussing job prospects, finding their own place to live and where they were going to take their relationship next. They planned to see the world and once they returned, they would get married and start working on the family they both wanted.

At nine o'clock that night one of the sixth years had come rushing into the room and told Hermione that she was needed in Madame Maxime's office immediately. Confused, Hermione told Michel she would be back shortly and made her way to the Headmistress' office. When she walked into the spacious room that Madame Maxime spent her days in she saw her Mother sitting in one of the chairs in front of the desk. "Mum?" she had asked, her confusion starting to give way to the fear that was starting to overtake her. Her fear doubled when her Mother turned to face her and Hermione saw the tears streaking down her face.

"Oh Hermione," her Mum had said, embracing her tightly, "I-It's your Father, he-he's...gone."

Hermione stood there stiffly holding her sobbing Mother as she tried to absorb what she had just been told. "Mum, what do you mean 'he's gone'?"

Her Mum pulled back and wiped her face with a handkerchief before she said, "He had a heart attack at the office today, in the middle of cleaning a patient's teeth, and when the Medics got there he was already d...gone."

After hugging her Mother tightly and crying for what seemed like hours, Hermione was finally able to calm down and think straight again. "I'll go get the rest of my things together so we can leave," she said to her Mum.

"You might as well stay and take the train home tomorrow like you planned," her Mum replied, "I have to go to your Aunt's house from here and she'll probably want me to stay with her tonight. You know how close she and your Father were..."

"Oh, okay," Hermione replied, only mildly disappointed, "I'll need you to pick me up at about one tomorrow afternoon."

After saying their goodbyes Hermione made her way back to the Common Room, thinking about her Father her mind replaying all the memories she had of him; she couldn't imagine how she and her Mum would go on without him.

The moment she walked through the door Michel knew something was wrong. He ushered her over to the couch and held her while she cried some more. She explained to him what had happened and he tightened his hold on her; "I'm here for you Hermione, I hope you know that," he said, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

She had no idea how it had happened, but the next thing she knew she and Michel were lying on the couch together tearing each other's clothes off. A part of her mind knew it was wrong, that this was happening for the wrong reason, but she ignored that part and forgot the pain; she needed to feel loved and special, she needed to fill the gaping hole in her heart.

It wasn't how she had imagined her first time; instead of slow, tender and romantic it was fast, clumsy and painful. Michel had been so consumed with lust that he forgot the fact she was a virgin and had plunged himself into her; she had swallowed the cry of pain that welled up within her and closed her eyes as he quickly brought himself to climax. Afterwards he collapsed on top of her, murmuring his love and how wonderful she was and failing to notice her tears; that was not how it was supposed to be.

She lay awake in her bed all night long, crying for her Father and feeling hollow; this day was the worst day of her life. She wished she had a time turner so she could go back to yesterday and make sure none of it happened.

The next morning an exhausted Hermione boarded the train with a very jovial Michel; he kept referring to 'the next time being better' and it made her want to vomit. Finally unable to take it anymore she shouted, "Would you stop bringing that bloody nonsense up? It was...don't plan on it happening again anytime soon."

Michel was stunned by her words and not knowing how to properly react he chose the coward's way, he stormed out of their compartment and ignored her for the remainder of the trip. She sat alone in her compartment dreading what it would be like to walk into her house knowing her Father would never be there again. Without a single thought or concern for her relationship with Michel she walked off the train and found her Mum. It was time to go home and prepare to say her final goodbye to her Father...she'd worry about the rest of her life later.

Her Mother had made preparations for her Father to be transported and buried in London; when they arrived at their house Hermione found a moving van and men packing up their belongings.

"Mum, what's going on?" she asked, watching two men carry their sofa out the front door.

"We're moving back to London," her Mum replied, "There is nothing left here for us anymore; you're done with school, I've put your Father's dental office up for sale through a realtor and all of our relatives are in England. We can honor your Father's wishes by burying him in his Family Plot and start a new life for ourselves."

"What? Mum. This is...too much. You always resented him moving us here didn't you? Were you just waiting for him to die just so you could go running back to England?" she shouted knowing her words were hurtful, but she was hurting too. "Maybe I don't want too move back to England and start over? My life is here Mother. Michel and I have plans to travel and start a life of our own," stated Hermione, getting angrier at the idea that her Mum just decided to up-root her life without even bothering to ask her how she felt about it.

"Hermione, you don't know what you're saying." her Mum responded, attempting to pull her into a hug, "We...I need to do this. You are much too young to have notions about love and settling down. You'll see, you need to venture out on your own, live your own life for a while, without being tied down to a boy you think you love."

A vicious argument ensued with her Mum; Hermione finally gave up and stomped up the stairs to her room. Everything was already in boxes but thankfully her telephone was still there; she immediately picked up the receiver and dialled Michel's number. When he answered and she tearfully filled him in on her Mother's plan he was very quiet. Unsettled by the silence Hermione asked, "Do you think I could stay with you, that way we can still go on our trip?"

"I'm not going to be able to go on the trip, my Father expects me to work at the shop this summer. He won't let me go," he replied, "So it's probably better if you just move to England with your Mother." After a long pause, he lamely added, "After today I don't think we have much of a future anyway."

"Because I shouted at you?!" she asked, the volume of her voice rising. "We were talking about moving in together, getting married and starting a family of our own. What's changed so much that you feel we shouldn't be together anymore? I gave you my virginity, is that all you wanted? You said that you loved me..."

"Everything's changed," he replied shortly, "Your Father...your Mother is going to need you now...I'm sorry for doing this over the telephone Hermione; I had planned to come see you tomorrow so that I could tell you in person. It's been fun and I hope you have a good life."

He had hung up the phone immediately, denying her an opportunity to reply. Hermione sat frozen for a second and when his words had sunk in she snatched up the phone angrily and threw it across the room. As she watched it bounce off the wall she thought, 'Good riddance, I don't need you either.'

Two days later Hermione and her Mum had set off for England. Soon they found a lovely little house to live in, both of them quickly found jobs they liked and settled themselves into a quiet, routine life that both were comfortable with. Unfortunately their peaceful lives were disrupted when two months later Hermione discovered she was pregnant with Michel's child.

2. Prologue-Harry's Story

I'm talking to you
I know the power you possess
Playing cool rock for the all access
Big which, it's jealousy
I see that your heart's in the wrong place
You can't follow me
I don't know why you're kissing my ass
Cause as soon as I turn my back you start stabbin'
I'm reality, you can't just even bother me
I'm the one they came to see
Stay the fuck away from me
I'm talking to you V.I.P

"V.i.p."-Ugly Kid Joe

He had never thought that something like this could happen to him...

Harry Potter was the Boy-Who-Lived, the Saviour of the Wizarding and Muggle World, the Boy Who Defeated You-Know-Who and whatever title they had chosen to give him this week. He had suffered through a horrible childhood without his parents, forced to live with an Aunt, Uncle and Cousin that couldn't stand to look at him, let alone have him in their house, and then through seven years of having a deranged Evil Lord trying to kill him at every possible chance. He had finished second in his class, bested only by Padma Patil, and had been Quidditch captain for the last three years of school.

He had been famous before he set foot in Hogwarts, but that didn't help with his awkwardness around girls. By the time he gathered the courage to talk to Parvati in fifth year he had figured out that girls really weren't that scary once you got to know them better. By the time he and Parvati broke up he had gotten to what Muggles refer to as 'first base' with her. His next girlfriend, a spunky Hufflepuff fifth year, had let him get all the way to 'second base'; by the time they broke up Harry had had his hands up her shirt more times than he could count.

In sixth year, Harry experienced his third girlfriend, Mandy Brocklehurst, a daring little Ravenclaw who had opened up many new doors for Harry sexually. She had taught him (smart little thing that she was) how to please a girl and to Harry's ultimate delight she had a mouth like a Goblin...the vacuum that is. She had given him his first blowjob ever and she had been so good that he almost proposed marriage afterwards. She had been pressing him to take the final step with her but Harry refused; he wasn't going to be like Seamus and Ron, his dorm mates, who slept with anything with breasts. He was waiting for the right girl to come along and he was trusting his instincts to tell him who that girl was; unfortunately for Mandy it wasn't her and they broke up six months later, after one more round of mind blowing oral sex.

At the start of his seventh year Harry was more worried about defeating Voldemort than getting laid, which surprised even him, and he spent every night in special training with different members of the Order of the Phoenix. The first four months of school, his life consisted of classes, homework, Quidditch and training. On the seventh of January Voldemort made his move and after a gruelling two-day battle, in which he neither ate nor slept, Harry had somehow defeated the bane of his existence.

After spending two painful weeks in the Hospital Ward being doted on by Madame Pomfrey he had finally been able to join his dorm-mates. Ron, having known about his impending release, had set up the party to end all parties and the minute Harry stepped into the Common Room the festivities were underway. There were sweets and fireworks provided by the Weasley twins and Butterbeer and Firewhiskey was being passed around for everyone above fifth year. The party went well into the night, with permission from Professor McGonagall, and Harry figured he talked to everyone in Gryffindor Tower that night. That was the night that he had found the girl he'd been looking for.

Lavender Brown had been visiting with her friends when he spotted her; he had taken in her shining brown eyes, her long silky hair, and her more-than-a-handful breasts and he just knew she was the one. When he had approached her later that night she had acted shy, giggled at his jokes and told him she had 'seen' that he would come to talk to her that night. Ignoring the reference to divination, he and Lavender ended up talking on the couch, oblivious to anyone else. Once the party wore down and there were only a few students left in the common room, he and Lavender had made out on that couch like a couple of sexually starved rabbits. From that night on it had been a virtual snog fest every night; the only thing Harry had regretted was that he hadn't spent more time with his mates.

On the night before their last day at Hogwarts he had found himself alone in the Room of Requirement with Lavender dressed in only lacy lingerie and a sexy-as-hell smile. After she had walked up to him and whispered what she wanted to do to him that night, he had been putty in her hands, willing to do whatever she wanted him to. He had very willingly lost his virginity that night and they had stayed up having sex and talking all night about their plans after Hogwarts; there was even mention of possibly moving in together.

While they were traveling home on the Hogwarts Express Lavender had excused herself to go to the bathroom. Harry had watched her leave the compartment with the look of a lovesick puppy on his face, according to Ron anyway. They joked around for a while and when Lavender had been gone for almost thirty minutes Harry had decided to go looking for her. He was ready to give up after knocking on the bathroom door and surprising the hell out of a first year when he heard a familiar giggle coming from two compartments down. He had looked through the compartment door window and what he had seen made his blood boil.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" he yelled, bursting through the door. He watched as Lavender and Michael Corner, a shitty little Ravenclaw that had been in their year, quickly jumped apart.

"Harry," Lavender said in her sultry voice, "You're such an impatient boy, I told you I would be back in a little while."

Harry looked down at her hand as it moved up and down his chest and quickly grabbed her wrist, stilling its movement. "That was almost an hour ago," he replied, gritting his teeth, "obviously you were busy and lost track of time."

When he turned around and glared at Michael, the Ravenclaw quickly excused himself and almost ran out the door. "He must be smart," Harry said, glaring after him, "He knew to leave before I kicked his arse."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Lavender asked angrily jerking her wrist free from his grasp, "You act like you own me or something. Just because you're the "famous Harry Potter" that doesn't mean you can order me around or treat me like I'm one of your star-struck minions."

"What are you fucking talking about?" Harry asked, completely bewildered by her sudden change in behavior. "What's going on with you? Just last night we were talking about moving in together and now you're acting like we've never even been on a date."

"I've been thinking about all that," she replied coolly, "and I really don't think it would be a good idea to continue seeing each other, let alone move in with each other."

Harry stood there dumbstruck; when had everything in his life done a one-eighty? Wasn't his life supposed to be better now that Voldemort was gone, school was over, and he had found the girl of his dreams? He looked at her and asked, "So what the hell was last night? Was it just so you could brag that you shagged 'the boy-who-lived'?"

"Professor Trelawny predicted it. She "saw" that I would be responsible for turning the Boy into a man." said Lavender with a sweet smile on her lips, "I just knew that Boy was you. Don't be so serious, it was our destiny. We had fun didn't we? Now it's time to move on." Harry watched as she closed the distance between then and leaned in to lightly brush a kiss on his lips. She whispered, "Goodbye Harry, I hope you have a good life." Before he could get his bearings she was out the door and out of his life

That had been just over two months ago; now Harry sat in the Leaky Cauldron nursing his fifth Firewhiskey and rather enjoying his pity party for one.

"Hiya Harry," said Ron as he walked up to the table and sat next to his best friend, "What're you doing here drinking by yourself?"

"I've got nothing better to do," Harry replied, looking as depressed as he felt, "I can't believe she dumped me Ron, I was supposed to be the one to dump her."

"You're not still moping about Lavender are you?" Ron asked, shaking his head in disbelief, "It's time to move on Mate, there are many more birds out there for you to hook up with."

"But she was the one," Harry moaned, more than a little drunk.

"Hey Ron, Hi Harry," said Dean Thomas as he walked up to join them, "What's going on?"

"Harry's still moaning over the loss of his one true love," Ron replied in a high falsetto voice, "He doesn't know how he'll ever go on."

Harry glared at Ron and Dean as they sat laughing at his expense; catching the waitress' eye he signalled for her to come to the table. When she walked up next to him with a questioning look on her face Harry said, "Bring me another bottle of Firewhiskey please, and whatever these two arseholes want."

"We're just having fun with ya Harry," Dean said after he ordered a butterbeer, "It would do you good to cheer up a little. We're on our own, now's the time to raise hell and have fun."

"I don't want to have fun," Harry said, moping even more.

Ron sat staring at Harry, shaking his head in disbelief at the serious funk his best mate was in. Leaning closer to him Ron said, "You know what you need mate? You need to get laid."

"That's your answer to everything," Harry replied shortly, "Shagging doesn't solve all the worlds problems Ron."

"It may not solve them, but it sure as bloody hell makes for a nice distraction mate," Ron replied cheekily. Feeling encouraged by Harry's slight smile Ron elbowed him in the side and said, "I see just the girl who could cheer you up."

Harry looked up and saw Ron staring; when he followed Ron's gaze, his eyes fell upon the most gorgeous creature he had ever seen. She was sitting by herself at a table, nursing a glass of pumpkin juice, immersed in the thickest book he had ever seen. She had brown curly hair that shone like the sun when the light hit it, her skin was milky white with a smattering of freckles across her nose, and when she looked over to where they sat staring at her Harry noticed that she had the biggest, brownest, sexiest eyes he had ever seen.

Realizing that they had been caught staring, the three quickly looked in different directions. Ron looked over at Harry and noticed that he kept trying to sneak a peek at the girl whenever he thought she wasn't looking. "So Harry, what are you going to do about Lavender?" he asked, hoping his intuition had been right.

"Lavender who?" Harry asked distractedly, suddenly sober, as a huge smile spread across his face, reaching from ear to ear. When Ron laughed and turned his attention to Dean, Harry watched discouraged as the mystery girl packed up her things and walked out the door. 'I've got to find out who she is', Harry thought, quickly tossing some money onto the table. When Dean and Ron looked at him confused he said, "I'm not going to let her get away."

Ron smiled, glad to see his friend in better spirits and said, "Good luck mate, we expect details later," and laughed as Harry quickly ran out the door after her.

3. Harry Meets Hermione

~A/N> Here's chapter 1, just as I promised :) Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. Thanks to my beta Spaz for all her hard work, and chapter 2 will be posted next Saturday.

"Hello? Excuse me, Miss?" Harry called out to the mystery girl, hoping to get her attention so she would stop walking.

As he ran along the sidewalk he noticed all the heads that were turning his way and even heard a few female voices call out, "Hi Harry!" Any other day he would have stopped to see if there were any possibilities in the crowd, but today he only had one girl in mind, one that seemed to be ignoring him at the moment.

He watched as she suddenly stopped and turned to face him. He was running so fast that he went by her at first and had to stop and backtrack to where she was. "Hi," he panted as he bent over, put his hands on his knees and tried to steady his breath. Damn, he was getting out of shape.

"Do I know you?" the mystery girl asked, making him stand straight up immediately.

"You don't recognize me?" he asked, knowing full well that he was sounding like a cocky bastard; it was hard for him to believe that she didn't know who he was and he fought to hold back a grin.

She stood staring at him for a few moments and he knew precisely when she realized who he was because her beautiful eyes widened a little. "So you're Harry Potter," she stated, a mask of annoyance on her face, "That doesn't explain why you were chasing after me."

Harry had to stop himself from making a smart-arsed remark at her condescending tone. "I spotted you in the Leaky Cauldron and I so was overcome by your beauty that I just had to chase after you and find out your name," he replied, flashing her the fabulous smile that graced all the magazine covers and drove all the witches wild.

The smile quickly slid off his face when she started laughing and said, "That has got to be the cheesiest line I have ever heard a bloke use."

Harry could feel his cheeks getting warm with embarrassment and said, "I realize that you must get hit on by a lot of blokes, but that doesn't mean you have to get all stroppy with me."

She ceased laughing to glare at him, indignation written all over her face. "I wouldn't be stroppy if you weren't being such a pompous arse. Just because you're the famous Harry Potter doesn't mean that every witch gets her knickers in a twist over you."

Harry watched with amazement as she brushed by him and continued walking down the street. Recovering from her verbal tongue-lashing, he made his way after her, catching up to her quickly thanks to his longer legs. "You still haven't told me your name," he said.

"Do you mind? I'm on my lunch break and you're making me late" she said, throwing another nasty glare his way.

"I don't mind at all, I'll just walk back with you and keep you company at your job until you give in and tell me," he replied cockily, flashing her another smile.

Sighing in resignation she stopped; turned towards him and said, "My name is Hermione Granger. Now will you please leave me alone?"

"Nice to meet you Hermione Granger," he said sweetly, "And yes, I will leave you alone...for now."

As he turned and started making his way back to the Leaky Cauldron he could hear her growl in anger and he tried not to laugh out loud. Stopping at the corner he turned to watch which shop she went into and wasn't surprised when she walked into Flourish and Blotts. He made a mental note to go into the shop that night to talk to Edna, the owner, to see what hours Hermione worked. Whistling happily as he walked down the street, Harry started thinking about what his next move would be; their little chat had proven that the feisty Hermione Granger was one witch that he definitely wanted to get to know better. Besides, he never was one to back down from a challenge, and this one looked to be very promising.

~*~

Hermione quickly walked into the store and made her way to the back to put her things away. She couldn't believe the nerve of him, chasing after her that way just to find out her name. She was also angry with herself for letting him affect her like this; she had never gotten flustered over a guy before and it worried her. She had more important things to worry about, like how she was going to take care of herself and her unborn baby. It was bad enough that her Mum kept hounding her to abort the baby or give it up for adoption, she really didn't have time to waste on a horny guy that thought he had the right to chase after any girl he deemed pretty enough to sleep with.

As she walked back out to the counter to take over for another girl, Edna, her boss, walked up to her and asked, "Is everything okay Hermione? You're looking a little flushed, you're not getting sick are you?"

Hermione smiled at her, thankful that she had found such a sweet, caring employer. Edna was more than an employer, she was like a grandmother to Hermione. Edna had lost her husband due to an illness a long time ago and with her children now grown she decided to immerse herself in her work. She bought Flourish and Blotts when the shop came up for sale using the nest egg she and her husband had built. It had been a risk, however, she spent at least six hours a day in her store, interacting with the customers and helping out if an employee was out sick. She was enjoying this phase of her life and the risk was more that worth it

Hermione had confessed to Edna regarding her pregnancy. She just smiled, grabbed Hermione's hand and said, "Don't you worry about a thing, and I'll help you as much as I can." Hermione had been so relieved that she cried and was surprised when Edna hugged her; when they pulled apart Edna said, "You know, I found myself in the same situation a long time ago. I was fortunate enough to have the love of the baby's Father too. It's terrible that yours has failed to take responsibility, but I'll take care of you, don't you worry." Hermione had found her guardian angel in Edna and she worked as hard as she could to show her appreciation.

Shaking herself from her memories, Hermione explained, "I had to rush to get back here before my lunch hour was up."

Edna stared at her and said, "Okay, what is it that you're not telling me."

Without meeting her employer's eyes Hermione said, "There was this tosser that kept bothering me. He even followed me from the Leaky Cauldron and wouldn't leave me alone until I told him my name."

"Oh my," Edna said, "Do you think he could be dangerous?"

"I doubt it," Hermione replied, trying not to laugh, "I realized who he was after I got a better look at him."

"And? Who was he?" Edna asked impatiently.

"Harry Potter," Hermione replied, sounding star-struck even to her own ears. Angry that she had let him get to her like that, needing a distraction Hermione turned to the register and rang up the purchase for one the waiting customers. She silently hoped that Edna would drop the subject.

Unfortunately, Edna's curiosity was peaked and she walked up next to Hermione and asked, "You're telling me that Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, saw you in the Leaky Cauldron and proceeded to follow you back to work just so he could find out your name?"

"That's what he said," Hermione replied.

"It sounds like he's got it bad," Edna said, smiling.

"Right..." Hermione scoffed, "What it sounds like to me is that he's more interested in getting into my knickers than anything romantic. Besides, I have more important things to worry about than some famous bloke looking to add another notch to his bedpost."

Edna was called away to help a distressed customer and left Hermione to tend to the register.

"Excuse me dear," said the next customer in line, "I don't mean to pry, but the fellow you're describing doesn't sound like the Harry Potter I know."

"Oh, do you know him well?" Hermione asked warily. She suspected that there were several crackpots around nowadays claiming to know the Harry Potter personally.

"I do," the woman said, smiling kindly, "He's practically one of the family. He is best mate to our Ron. Harry's such a sweet, quiet boy. He's had a hard life he has. He really is a dear."

Hermione took in the woman's red hair and thought back to the other blokes sitting with Harry. "I believe I saw your son Ron, I noticed him sitting with Harry while I was having lunch."

"They've been best mates since their first year at Hogwarts," she explained. "Where are my manners? I'm sorry, I'm Molly Weasley."

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Weasley. I'm Hermione Granger."

"I can't place you, did you go to Hogwarts dear?" Molly asked, staring at Hermione trying to place her at her son's school.

"No Mrs. Weasley, I attended Beauxbatons," Hermione replied, finishing up the sale and hoping that was the end of the questioning.

"Oh, okay, well it was nice to meet you," Mrs. Weasley said as she took her change from Hermione, "And remember dear, Harry may come on a bit strong but inside he's just a lonely little boy."

Trying not to laugh, Hermione said, "I'll keep that in mind, thank you," and watched her walk out of the store.

'What have I gotten myself into now?' she thought. Hermione caught site of Edna laughing at her little exchange with Mrs. Weasley, she made a point of ignoring her.

Later that night, about an hour before closing, Edna took over the register so Hermione could inventory the books and see if there were any they needed to re-order. Hermione was going through the Hogwarts texts to make sure they had enough in stock when she was distracted by the sound of the door chime. Curious as to who would come in this late since the shop was usually empty of customers by now, Hermione peeked around the corner of the bookshelf and couldn't believe it when she saw the familiar head of black, messy hair.

'What is he doing here?' she wondered, watching as he approached Edna at the counter.

"Hi Edna," Harry said pleasantly, "How have you been?"

"I've been good Harry," her boss answered. She was on a first name basis with him? "Is there something I can help you with?"

"I'm actually here to ask you about one of the witches working for you," he replied, and Hermione's heartbeat kicked into high gear. Surely he wouldn't come here just to find out about her, would he?

"And who would that be?" Edna asked and Hermione could hear the laughter in her voice.

"She said her name is Hermione Granger, but she was pretty angry with me at the time, so I don't know if that is her real name or if she just decided to give me a false name so I would leave her alone," Harry replied, chuckling as he said it.

'Please don't tell him. Please don't tell him...' Hermione thought, willing Edna to hear her thoughts.

"Yes, she works here," replied Edna, obviously not gifted with the `sight', "She's actually working right now."

What the...? What did Edna think she was doing? Hermione quickly got to work as she heard the two of them approaching the area she was in. She looked up, trying to seem surprised, as they walked around the bookcase into her view. "Hermione, you have a visitor," Edna said with a Cheshire grin on her face.

"Thanks Edna," Hermione said through gritted teeth. She noticed Edna mouth the words 'Be Nice' before she returned to the front of the store, leaving the two of them alone. Ignoring Edna's advice Hermione turned to Harry and asked, "What do you want now?"

"Hello to you too," he replied with that damn smile again. One of these times he was going to flash that smile at her and she would jump him on the spot. "I wanted to see if maybe you'd like to get a cup of coffee or tea with me after you get off work?"

'I really don't need this right now', she thought, trying not to think about how gorgeous he was. Concentrating on his cocky attitude she said, "I can't tonight, I have to get home my Mum is expecting me."

"O-kay, well would you mind if I stayed and kept you company?" he asked, watching her closely.

She noticed that the cocky smile was gone and in it's place was a look of uncertainty in his eyes; she knew he wasn't used to being shot down by a girl and dealing with her was an all new experience. "I guess it would be okay, but I can't just sit here chatting with you, I do have work I need to get done," she replied, a little nicer than before.

Nodding his head in understanding Harry asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Sure, you can carry that stack of books over here," she replied, pointing to a tall stack of books near the front of the store.

Harry gave a short salute and got to work, carrying about twenty-five Hogwarts Defence Against The Dark Arts books over to her. As he set them down she placed them on the shelves, and soon the job was finished, much faster than she could have done by herself. "Anything else I can do?" he asked.

"No, I just have to write down the names of the books we need to order," she replied.

As she stood in front of the shelves, writing down the information she needed, Harry walked up behind her and leaned back against the bookshelf behind her.

"Are you sure I can't convince you to have some tea with me?" he asked quietly, and when she turned to answer him she noticed that he was staring at her.

Thrown off guard as she noticed hints of curiosity and desire in his eyes she stammered a bit and said, "Al-all right, just let me ring my Mum and tell her I'll be home a bit later."

~Please review, it only takes a minute and I greatly appreciate it :)

4. The Date

~A/N> Thanks for all the wonderful reviews on the last chapter, and as always thanks to Spaz for all her hard work!

"What do you mean you're going to be home late?" her Mother practically wailed into the phone, "We were supposed to finish decorating the kitchen tonight!"

"Mum," Hermione sighed, "The kitchen can wait until tomorrow. Something's come up and I can't get out of it," she explained, hoping her Mum wouldn't question her excuse.

After a dramatic sigh of her own, her Mum said, "Well, I guess it will just have to wait until tomorrow then. Your not going to be out too late, are you? You need to think about your health you know."

"Yes Mum," Hermione replied, rolling her eyes at her Mother's dramatics. After saying good-bye she hung up her cell phone and ran her hand tiredly through her hair. So far the pregnancy had been easy, she'd been spared from morning sickness, but she was constantly tired and her regular clothes were starting to get tight. She finally relented and had tentative plans to go maternity wear shopping.

"Ready to go?" Harry asked, interrupting her thoughts, as he walked up to her. She nodded and followed him out the door.

"Good night Edna," she called out behind her, "I'll see you tomorrow afternoon."

"Good night Hermione," Edna responded, "And Harry...you take care of our girl. If I hear otherwise you'll have more than one angry witch to contend with."

"Okay Edna," Harry replied smiling, "Good night."

Once they were outside Hermione turned to Harry and asked, "So where are we going?"

"Well, there's this friend of mine that's just opened up a small café between Quality Quidditch Supplies and the Apothecary, I thought we might go there," Harry replied.

"I wondered what they were going to put in there, they've been working on that shop since I started with Edna," Hermione said.

As they continued to walk and discuss a myriad of topics, Harry placed his hand lightly on the small of her back as they reached the door of the cafe. Hermione was surprised when his touch sent tingles up her spine and when she chanced a look at him she noticed a strange look on his face; 'maybe he felt it too?' she wondered, walking through the door he was holding open for her.

The moment they walked inside a wizard about their age and a little shorter than Harry came hurrying up to them with a huge smile on his face. "Harry!" the wizard said, grabbing his hand and shaking it vigorously, "I'm so glad you finally had a chance to stop by."

"Hey Neville," Harry replied happily, "I'm sorry it's taken me so long to come in here, but things have been a little hectic lately." Hermione watched as Neville shook his head in understanding as Harry said, "I'm sorry, where are my manners? Neville, this is Hermione Granger, she works for Edna at Flourish and Blotts. Hermione, this is Neville Longbottom, we attended Hogwarts together."

"It's nice to meet you Neville," Hermione said, finding Neville's friendly smile contagious.

"It's nice to meet you too Hermione," Neville replied. He turned to Harry and said, "I have a nice, quiet table for the two of you, please follow me."

Harry once again placed his hand on Hermione's back and guided her around the tables as they followed Neville. Neville stopped and pulled a chair out for Hermione and asked, "I hope this is okay?"

"It's perfect," Hermione replied, liking his easy smile and sweet demeanor, "Thank you Neville."

As Hermione sat in the seat that Neville pulled out for her, Harry looked at Neville and said jokingly, "You're making me look bad Neville."

"Sorry Harry, force of habit...you know...my Gran," Neville replied. At the mention of his Gran a strange look flickered across his face and Harry started laughing.

"No problem Neville, I understand," he said.

"Can I bring you two anything to drink?" Neville asked, looking from Hermione to Harry.

"We'll both have some tea please," Harry replied.

Hermione watched as Neville nodded and walked away to get their tea. "He seems like a nice sort," she stated, "I don't remember the last time I felt so comfortable with someone I've just met."

"Yeah, he's been like that since the day we met, our first train ride to Hogwarts," Harry replied, "He was always so friendly and as we became friends we realized we had more in common than we thought."

Just then Neville returned to the table with a tray balanced in his arms. "Here's your tea, and I brought you some of our homemade biscuits too."

"Thank you so much," Hermione replied, giving him a dazzling smile. She noticed that his cheeks took on a light pink color as he placed their tea and the biscuits on the table in front of them.

"You're welcome," he replied, "If you need anything else just give a shout." Hermione watched as he made a hasty retreat from their table and she looked at Harry questioningly.

"He may be really friendly, but he's also painfully shy and gets embarrassed easily," Harry replied, answering her silent question.

They each took a sip of their tea and as Hermione reached for a biscuit Harry asked, "So will you tell me more about yourself?"

After she had taken a bite she chewed slowly as she looked at him, as if studying him to see if he was worthy. "What do you want to know?" she asked warily.

"Well, how about where you went to school?" he asked simply.

"I went to Beauxbatons," she replied, "I was top of my class when I finished my schooling two months ago."

"How is it that you lived in France but you have a British accent?" he asked.

"I was born right here in London. We moved to France just before I turned twelve. I was supposed to start at Hogwarts that September but my parents decided to transfer me to Beauxbatons so I could be closer to them. The French was difficult at first, we were taught translator spells first year. Its how I managed to keep my accent. Fortunately I picked up on the French soon enough and that helped with trying to fit in." she explained.

"So, did you like Beauxbatons? Is it a good school? I met your Headmistress...Madame..." Harry asked.

"Maxime." Hermione finished, "Yes, its an excellent school. What about Hogwarts? Is it as grand as the history books indicate?"

"Yeah, its fantastic. More like home than my own home..." Harry responded but then stopped, he wanted to know more about Hermione. "So why'd you move back to Britain?"

Hermione sighed and then decided to answer the question, "My Father...my Father past away suddenly...the night before...he missed the leaving feast." Hermione paused to pull herself together, "Uhmm, my mum decided that it would be best if we moved back to London to be closer to the rest of the family."

"I'm sorry to hear about your Father," he said sympathetically, "I do know how that feels...I lost my parents too...uhm I guess you probably knew that already..."

"Yes, learning about you was required reading during first year," Hermione replied, "I often wondered what it was like to be you and have something that horrid happen at such a young age. It must have been very hard on you growing up."

"You have no idea," he said, getting a distant look in his eyes. She knew that she must have dredged up some bad memories but he recovered quickly and asked, "So, as beautiful and, uh...friendly as you are, I imagine you left a very heartbroken guy behind 'eh?"

"Is that yet another line from the Potter repertoire?" she quipped, laughing. Suddenly becoming serious she replied, "I'd hardly call him heartbroken, more likely relieved that I am gone."

"I find that hard to believe," he said, studying her face.

Uncomfortable with his scrutiny she asked, "What about you? From what I hear you are quite the heartbreaker."

"Don't believe everything you hear," he answered, "Yeah, I dated a few girls during school, one of them was, well, kind of a serious relationship, but that's it for my dating history."

Hermione watched him as he talked, noticing how his green eyes sparkled in the dim light of the cafe and a small wave of fear came over her. She was falling for him and falling hard. He really wasn't so bad after she'd quit being so stroppy with him and she knew she'd like to see him again, but she also knew that before this night was over she was going to have to tell him her secret. She hoped it wouldn't bother him but she knew that was just a fleeting fantasy...most guys ran screaming the minute they found out a girl was pregnant by another bloke. It wouldn't be fair to keep it from him though, it's not like he wouldn't realize it soon anyway, as fat as she was getting. She would just have to be honest and hope for the best.

While these thoughts were running through Hermione's head Harry was also thinking about the girl sitting across from him. He couldn't get over how beautiful she was, how her smile reached her eyes, and now that she'd quit being so cold towards him he found she was smart and had a wonderfully playful personality to go along with it all. It was actually a little unsettling, how easy it was to talk about everything and anything with her, even personal things, but he would worry about that later, right now he was enjoying her company and having a good time.

"So did you start working right out of school or are you taking some time off?" Hermione asked, pulling him from his thoughts.

"I'm taking some time off," he replied, "There have been countless job offers but I'm not sure what I want to do next."

"I'd imagine your focus has been on defeating Voldemort rather than potential career options, it must be nice to have that behind you and start living a normal life for once," she said casually, grabbing another biscuit.

Looking surprised he said, "I can't believe you said his name so easily, most people won't even say it and those that try usually stutter and hesitate."

"A great man once said, 'The only thing you have to fear is fear itself'", she replied easily, "I refused to be afraid of his name because that's what he wanted."

"That's very true," Harry said, impressed at her response. He had yet to meet a witch that didn't treat him like some kind of hero and gush constantly about how famous he was, let alone one that could say Voldemort's name so easily...until her. He knew he had to be cautious around her or else he would end up falling hard.

After chatting for a bit about Hermione's childhood and some of Harry's exploits at Hogwarts (with some input from Neville) Hermione said, "I really should be getting home. It's getting late and I have to help my Mum in the morning and then work in the afternoon."

Harry agreed and they both thanked Neville for the tea and biscuits. "Anytime," he replied, "It was great to meet you Hermione, I hope you'll come visit me again soon."

"I'll come over here for lunch one day soon," she answered happily.

"And don't be a stranger Harry," Neville joked, "Maybe if you came in here more often I'd get more customers."

"Ha, Ha," Harry replied, sounding angry but smiling as he said it, "I'll make sure to come back again soon. Thanks again Neville."

As the two of them walked out the door Hermione looked up and saw a shooting star soar across the sky; stopping suddenly she closed her eyes and made a wish. "What are you doing?" Harry asked, watching her strange behaviour.

"I'm making a wish," she replied, "That's what you're supposed to do when you see a shooting star."

"You really believe in wishes?" he asked, walking along side her.

"Wishes and dreams are all we have to keep our hopes alive for something we so desperately want," she answered, "I take it you don't believe in them?"

"I used to, but not any more," he replied, "There were too many wishes and dreams that didn't come true as I was growing up. I guess I just lost faith in them and grew to depend on myself to make things happen."

She thought of how sad it was for him to have to grow up so quickly she wondered if he'd ever had any childhood at all. The two of them continued to walk quietly down the street and Hermione was surprised when Harry took hold of her hand. She looked over at him smiling and was glad when he smiled back. It was such a beautiful night, the stars were shining brightly and there was just a hint of humidity on the wind; Hermione found herself wishing it wouldn't end.

She came to a stop outside of Flourish and Blotts and said, "Thank you Harry, I've had fun tonight."

"You're going back into the store?" he asked, "I can take you home, it's no problem."

"Thank you for the offer," she replied, "But I had my fireplace at home hooked up to the floo network so that I can floo right to work and then home again. It took my Mum a little while to get used to it but it's just easier for me that way."

After standing quietly on the sidewalk for a few moments, with her hand still in his, Harry said, "If it's okay with you, I'd like to see you again soon."

Hermione smiled weakly at him, knowing the time to tell him had come, and steeling her resolve replied, "I'd like that Harry, very much. But there is something I have to tell you that...well...will probably change your mind."

Harry squeezed her hand in reflex doubting there was anything she could say that would change his mind about seeing her again and said, "Alright..."

She looked carefully into his anxious eyes, "I'm...pregnant."

Except for that...Harry felt like he'd been hit in the gut by a bludger. She's pregnant? But she's so young, she didn't seem like the type-and he liked her so much..."How...I mean who's...I mean-"

As his hand released hers she looked at the ground as her eyes filled with tears. Readying herself to face his rejection, she said, "My boyfriend...well ex-boyfriend. It wasn't planned...the night my father died...I just needed to feel...and he...well we..." She shook her head, "I feel so foolish. I should have known..."

When she was suddenly quiet Harry looked up at her and noticed the tears sliding down her cheeks. Still feeling a bit unsure but unable to ignore the fact that she was obviously very upset, Harry reached out and lightly wiped away one of the tears. At his touch she had closed her eyes and sighed softly, the contact alone making her feel a bit better. While she was caught up with her jumbled thoughts and emotions Harry quietly asked, "He, uh...he didn't force you, did he?"

When she opened her eyes her heart broke a little; there it was, unease and apprehension in his eyes. Trying to focus on the obvious concern in his voice she whispered, "No, nothing like that...I just made a mistake about someone I thought loved me."

"What are you going to do...with the baby I mean?" he asked, his voice now devoid of any emotion.

"I'm..." she replied, "My Mum has been pushing me to get rid of it or put it up for adoption, but I just can't do it...this baby...it's a part of me."

"Yeah...you have to do what you feel is right," he stated, "Well, ah, thanks for telling me, I appreciate your honesty. I'll uh, I'll come see you again soon, okay?"

"S-sure," she answered, knowing that she would never see him again. She could tell that he was really spooked and that he wasn't ready to get involved with a witch with a baby. The tabloids would probably have a field day with that information if it were to get out that he was dating her. Choking back the sob that tried to escape, she gave him a watery smile and said, "Well, thanks again for tonight, I'm glad you talked me into it. I had fun."

"You're welcome," Harry replied, "Umm, well then, good night."

"Good night," Hermione whispered as she watched him turn abruptly and make his way to the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione unwarded the door as quickly as she could through the tears that were blurring her vision and rushed inside, resetting the wards behind her. Finally giving in to the sadness that was engulfing her, Hermione collapsed to the floor in tears, knowing that something that could have been really great had just walked out of her life forever.

~Please review, it only takes a moment and I greatly appreciate it!~

5. Longing

~A/N> Today's my birthday, so to celebrate I'm posting an extra chapter this week :) Thanks for all the wonderful reviews on the last chapter. As for Hermione's Mum in this story, I based her off of the Mum from the movie "For Keeps", she plays Molly Ringwald's character's Mother. Thanks as always to Spaz for her beta work, and I hope y'all enjoy!!!!! :) Oh, and the next update will be on Saturday!

When Hermione was finally able to pull herself together she stood up and made her way to the fireplace in the back room. Carelessly tossing in the floo powder she said, "Granger Residence" in a raspy voice and walked into the green flames.

Thankfully when she got home her Mum was already asleep. She didn't think she could take an inquisition by her Mother right now about why she looked like she had been crying. If Hermione mentioned going out with Harry her Mum would probably throw a bloody fit about how the last boy she was with had gotten her in 'trouble'.

Making herself some nice warm cocoa, Hermione made her way up to her room. After changing into her nightclothes she crawled under the covers, turned on the TV so the room wouldn't be so quiet and sipped her cocoa. As she stared at the screen she wasn't seeing the program that was currently on, she just kept seeing the events of the evening flashing before her eyes. As she remembered how Harry's hand had felt against her back and how happy she had felt with him, she started to cry all over again and asked, "What did I do to deserve this?" as she rubbed her hand over her slightly bulging stomach.

~*~

Harry found himself back at Neville's cafe the next afternoon. Ron had called and asked if he wanted to join him and Dean for lunch; if Harry had known this was where they were going he would have turned them down. He felt like shite as it was, he'd only gotten about two hours of sleep after he had gone back to his flat. After walking away from Hermione he had gone for a long walk, replaying the entire night out in his head. He couldn't help thinking that she was the witch he was meant to be with, but there was no way he could be with her when she was carrying another wizard's child. The press harassed him constantly now, he didn't even want to think of the hell the press would put her through if they started dating or became serious.

"Hello? Harry?" Ron asked as he passed his hand in front of Harry's face, "Are you with us mate?"

"What? Oh, sorry, I was just thinking about last night," he explained as Neville walked up to their table.

"Hey," he said, "thanks for coming by." Turning to Harry he smiled and said, "When I asked you to stop by again I didn't think it'd be so soon, I figured I wouldn't see you for at least another week."

Harry smiled weakly at Neville and replied, "I just can't stand eating anywhere else but here now Neville, everywhere else is just ruined for me after your great service."

Neville laughed at Harry's cheekiness and asked, "So where's Hermione? Don't tell me you're tired of her already? She seemed like a keeper to me."

Harry's face fell at the mention of her name and said, "Yeah, well, doesn't look like that one's gonna work out mate."

Ron, Dean and Neville all looked at him curiously as Ron asked, "Is Hermione the witch you went chasing after yesterday, from the pub?"

"Yeah that's her, I found out she works for Edna and I went in last night and asked her out. We ended up coming here to have a cuppa and a chat," Harry explained, "After I dropped her off last night I realized that it just wouldn't work between us."

"Wouldn't put out for you 'eh?" Dean asked, slapping Harry jokingly on the shoulder. The look Harry shot him caused Dean to move away; Harry was angry and a little frightening. "I'm just joking mate, take it easy," he said, hoping to appease his friends sudden anger.

"She's not like that," Harry replied, turning away from Dean, "She's different from the other birds I've gone out with."

Thankfully Ron changed the subject to Quidditch as he and Dean started debating who would win the Cup that season. Soon Neville brought their food out and the table was quiet as they enjoyed the excellent meal. They talked for a bit more and then Ron said, "Well, I have to go meet Luna at her Father's office, I'll see you guys later."

"I have to go that way too, I'll walk with you," Dean replied, tossing a few knuts on the table. "See ya later Harry," he said with a quick slap on the back.

"If you want to go out later let me know," Ron said, "We can go out and see if maybe we can find a new witch for you to moon over."

"Thanks for the offer Ron but I'm not up to it tonight," Harry replied. Ron just shrugged and with a quick wave walked out of the cafe.

Neville walked up after they had left and asked, "Do you mind if I sit down?"

"No, have a seat," Harry replied and then took a sip of his tea. Neville sat across from him and watched Harry, his scrutiny making Harry uncomfortable. "What?" he asked a little shortly.

After a moment of silence Neville replied, "I'm wondering what the real reason is behind you not seeing Hermione anymore."

"I told you before, I realized it wouldn't work out between us," Harry answered, angered that Neville could see through his excuse so easily.

"I just can't believe that," Neville said, "When the two of you were in here last night you looked so happy together. It's been a while since I've seen you that relaxed with anyone."

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair; he looked at Neville and knew that he could confide in him, they had become good friends the last couple of years at Hogwarts and Harry had found himself telling him things that he couldn't share with Ron or any of his other dorm mates. "After we left here last night I walked her back to the shop," Harry started, "She uses the shop fireplace to floo between work and home. When we were saying good night I asked her if she would go out with me again..."

"And she said no?" Neville asked, "I find that hard to believe."

"No, she said yes, it's just that...she said she had something she needed to tell me first. I thought maybe there was another bloke or something but...she told me she was pregnant," Harry replied, dropping his eyes to the cup in his hands.

"Oh," Neville said quietly. After a moment of silence Neville asked, "Is the Father still in the picture?"

"No, the wanker slept with her and then broke up with her," Harry explained, "What kind of a bloke would do that?"

"I don't know," Neville replied, "If I was lucky enough to find a witch as sweet and kind as Hermione I don't think I'd ever let her get away."

"But what about the bloody papers?" Harry asked suddenly, "If they found out that I was going out with her they would have a field day exposing her pregnancy. I could just see the headlines now-'Mystery Witch Pregnant with Boy-Who-Defeated-You-Know-Who's Love Child'. I don't need that and she certainly doesn't deserve it."

"You seemed to really like her," Neville replied, "If you wanted to be with her bad enough you wouldn't give a damn about the bloody papers."

Harry looked at Neville, surprised at the words he had used. Harry couldn't remember ever hearing Neville swear before, let alone raise his voice. "I do really like her, it's just that...oh hell, I don't know what to do."

"Instead of making up your mind so quickly, why don't you take some time to think on it?" Neville asked, "You may just realize that she's worth taking a chance on."

"Since when did you become an expert on relationships?" Harry asked with a slight smile.

Neville smiled back and replied, "Ever since I watched you, Ron, Dean and Seamus with all those birds at Hogwarts. I took note of what not to do should I ever be lucky enough to find a witch that would go out with me."

"Very funny," Harry said with a newfound respect for his friend. "Thanks Neville," he said as he stood up, "I'll be in again soon; there are only a few things that I know how to make and I'm getting tired of eating the same things night after night."

"You're welcome anytime," Neville said, "Hopefully the next time you come in you'll have Hermione with you."

"We'll see," Harry replied and then walked out of the cafe, intent on deciding whether or not he'd be seeing Miss Granger again.

~*~

When Edna saw Hermione the next day she took in her appearance and said, "I'm going to cuff that boy on the head the next time I see him. I told him he'd better treat you right; it's obvious that he did something to upset you."

After arguing with her Mother the entire morning Hermione was happy to see Edna; she could talk to Edna without being judged or preached too and she could always count on a hug to make her feel better. "It's okay Edna, he was a perfect gentleman last night," she explained, "he took me to the new cafe down the street; we had tea and chatted for quite a while."

"Then why do you look so sad today?" Edna asked.

Hermione sat down in the chair next to Edna's and explained, "He walked me back here afterwards and he asked if I would go out with him again. I told him I'd love to but that there was something he should know first..."

"You told him you were pregnant?" Edna asked, impressed by Hermione's honesty.

"I did," Hermione replied, "And he couldn't get away from me fast enough. He said he'd come see me soon, which in bloke speak basically means, 'don't call me, I'll call you'."

"Oh luv, I'm so sorry," Edna said, wrapping her arms around her, hoping to give her some comfort.

"I thought he might-I was hoping that he would be different. After I told him he thanked me for my honesty and left as quickly as he could," Hermione explained, upset that she had tears in her eyes yet again.

"Don't be discouraged luv, the right wizard for you is out there somewhere, you'll find him when the time is right," Edna said encouragingly.

Hermione looked at Edna and smiled slightly, "You're probably right," she replied, "It's just that I really thought I had met him last night and I was wrong."

~*~

A week later Hermione hadn't seen or heard from Harry and she had all but given up. Every time the door opened to the shop she looked up hoping to see him come through the door, and every time she was disappointed when she saw that it was someone else; by the following Friday she had given up hope that she would ever see him again.

Luna Lovegood, Ron's long time girlfriend, went into Flourish and Blotts that night to pick up a book her Father had special ordered and hadn't had time to pick up himself. When she walked into the shop she saw Hermione by the bookcases doing what looked to be inventory; she knew it had to be Hermione because Harry had given them such a detailed description that she would recognize her anywhere.

Walking up to the counter where Edna was Luna smiled and said, "Good evening Miss Edna, I'm here to pick up the book that Daddy ordered two weeks ago."

"Hello Luna," Edna replied smiling, "And how is your Father doing these days?"

"He's working too hard, as usual," Luna answered, smiling at the obvious concern in Edna's voice. Edna had always fancied her Dad a bit and if her Dad were truthful with himself he'd admit that he fancied Edna a bit also. As she took the book and paid she leaned closer to her and asked, "The new witch over there, is that Hermione Granger?"

"Yes, that's her," Edna replied, curious by Luna's question, "How did you know her name?"

"Harry was over for dinner at Ron's flat the other night and she's all he could talk about," Luna explained, "He obviously fancies her and now I can see why. She's not like other witches is she?"

"He has a funny way of showing it," Edna chuffed, "He all but ran away from Hermione after their first date and he hasn't called or came by since. She's really hurt but she's trying to pretend she's okay."

"That doesn't sound like Harry," Luna said, "Ron had mentioned that Harry had said something about things not working out between them, but then Harry kept bringing her up whenever possible all night long. Besides, he usually likes a challenge, especially when it comes to the witch he's interested in, and he's usually kind and polite."

"That's what I said," Edna replied, "I know the reason but even that is puzzling me because I didn't think that would hold him back."

Luna looked over at Hermione and then looked back at Edna and asked, "Could you introduce me to her? Harry said she just moved here recently and didn't know many people yet; maybe she could use a friend right about now."

"That's a lovely idea Luna," Edna said, beaming at her. "Hermione, could you come here for a moment?"

They watched as Hermione walked towards the register, walked up to Edna and asked, "Do you need me to do something?"

"No, I just wanted to introduce you to the daughter of one of my dear friends," Edna explained, causing Luna's smile to grow even bigger, "Hermione, this is Luna Lovegood...Luna, this is Hermione Granger."

"It's nice to meet you," Luna replied, "Edna was explaining how you were new to the area and I thought maybe I could show you all the great places to shop, you know, give you the grand tour."

Hermione smiled back at her, immediately taking to the bubbly blonde, and said, "I'd like that, I haven't had the chance to meet anyone my age, well one person, but I don't count him as an acquaintance."

Luna knew she was referring to Harry and tried not to giggle, she knew Hermione wouldn't appreciate her giggling at that moment. "Are you doing anything tomorrow night?" she asked.

"No, I'm working until five and then I was just planning to sit home reading a good book," Hermione answered.

"How about I come by about five-thirty and we can grab some dinner and see the sights?" Luna offered.

"That sounds great," Hermione replied. Luna seemed so nice and Hermione knew that Edna wouldn't have introduced her unless she knew and fully trusted her.

"Great! So I'll see you tomorrow at five-thirty," Luna said, "Thanks Edna."

"You're welcome dear," Edna replied, waving as Luna walked out of the shop. Turning towards Hermione she said, "I hope you didn't mind, I just thought that you might like to meet another witch your age, and Luna is such a sweet, friendly girl."

"No, I was glad to meet her," Hermione replied, "It'll be nice to have a friend to do things with, instead of my Mum all the time; I just hope tomorrow night goes well."

"So do I luv," Edna said, silently hoping Hermione wouldn't be upset with her when she found out that she conveniently left out the part about Luna being the girlfriend of Harry Potter's best friend, "So do I."

6. Forged Friendships

~A/N> Thanks to you all for all the reviews and Birthday wishes on the last chapter! It made my day even more special :) Forewarning, there is a bit of drama at the end of this chapter, but after this the story will really pick up, with lots of surprises and fluff. Thanks to my beta Spaz; I hope you enjoy the chapter and the next update will be in one week!!

The next day Luna walked through the door of the shop at five-thirty sharp, making her way to the register where Hermione stood with Edna, deep in discussion. When she walked up to them Edna looked up and said, "Hello again Luna."

"Hello Madame Edna," Luna replied. Turning to Hermione she said, "All ready for our night on the town?"

"Yes I am," Hermione said with a huge smile. They both said goodbye to Edna and made their way out to the street. "So where are we going first?" Hermione asked.

"Well, I thought maybe we should eat first, that way we'll have plenty of energy to window shop later," Luna replied.

"Sounds great, I'm starving," Hermione agreed and the two started down the street. When Luna stopped in front of Neville's cafe Hermione hesitated and asked, "This is where we're eating?"

Luna looked at her and said, "My friend Neville owns this place, he makes really great food, and it'll be quieter than the Leaky Cauldron." Luna watched her reaction closely; she knew this was where Harry had brought her the night they went out and she wanted to see what Hermione would do when taken back there. By the sadness in her eyes Luna was pretty sure that she liked Harry as much as Harry liked her, they were just too stubborn to admit it to themselves.

Hermione mutely nodded her head and followed Luna through the door. The moment they stepped inside Neville came striding towards them, a welcoming smile on his face. "Luna, Hermione, it's nice to see you! How are my two favorite customers?" he asked.

"Hey Nev," Luna replied, hugging him.

"Hello Neville," Hermione replied, smiling at him.

Turning towards Hermione Neville said, "Nice to see you again. Let's get you ladies a table."

They followed him to a booth in the back and as they sat down he asked, "Can I get you something to drink?"

"I'll have a Butterbeer please," Luna replied, looking at Hermione expectantly.

"I'll just have Pumpkin Juice please," Hermione answered. Neville smiled at her and made his way to the small bar towards the front of the cafe to get their drinks.

"You don't like Butterbeer?" Luna asked.

"I've had it once before, but I've never been able to acquire a taste for it," she explained.

"I never tried it until I met my boyfriend," Luna answered with a dreamy smile on her face.

Hermione smiled at her answer; she obviously loved her boyfriend very much if the look on her face was any indication of her feelings. "Have you been going out with him a long time?" she asked.

"Just since my fifth year," Luna replied, "I had liked him for two years before that, but he never noticed me until his last year. Thankfully I was able to finally open his eyes at the Christmas Ball and we've been together ever since." When she noticed the wistful smile on Hermione's face she asked, "What about you? Any special guys in your life?"

"No," Hermione replied quietly, "I had a boyfriend at Beauxbatons for the last three years of school, but he broke up with me right before I moved here."

"I take it that it didn't end well?" Luna asked sympathetically.

"No, it was so sudden and very complicated...now I realize that what we had, well...it just wasn't enough," Hermione explained.

Feeling that Hermione really didn't want to talk about her ex, Luna changed the subject quickly. "So besides working for Edna, is there a specific job you would like to do now that you're out of school?"

"I'm not sure yet," Hermione replied, "I'd like to work for the Ministry, but right now my plans are up in the air. How about you, do you have a job lined up yet?"

"I'm going to be working on my Dad's paper, The Quibbler, after I finish school next summer. I've always loved to write and he's always wanted me to take over the business some day," she answered happily.

Before they could talk about anything else Neville walked up with their drinks and carefully placed them on the table. "Are you lovely ladies ready to order?" he asked.

After placing their orders they continued to talk about everything and anything. Hermione found that Luna was really easy to talk to, she was so nice, and she seemed to be an attentive listener; she knew that there was a great chance that they would become good friends.

After their food arrived the two settled into their dinner and made small talk in between bites. Luna couldn't help but like Hermione right away, she seemed like a genuinely nice person and they seemed to share quite a few of the same interests. While Hermione was describing one of the classes she had taken at Beauxbatons, Luna thought she had heard a familiar voice and looked up towards the front of the cafe. There, walking into the dining room, was Ron.

"Ronald?" Luna called as she stood up from the booth. When Hermione looked up she noticed a very tall redheaded man walking up to their booth and wrapping his arms around Luna.

"I didn't know you were going to be here," he said, sounding happily surprised.

"Hermione and I wanted to get something to eat before we started our sightseeing tour," Luna explained as she sat back down and he sat down next to her. "Ron, this is Hermione Granger. Hermione, this is my boyfriend Ronald Weasley."

"Hello," Hermione greeted quietly. She had recognized him the minute he walked up to their table; he had been with Harry in the Leaky Cauldron along with another bloke.

"Hi," Ron said warmly. He had been surprised to see the two of them here, eating together, but now he realized he might be able to find out what happened between her and Harry. "It's nice to finally meet you Hermione, I've heard a lot about you from Harry."

Hermione's eyes grew wide as Ron suddenly jumped and said, "Ow, what'd you do that for?" Luna, who had just elbowed him really hard in his side, sat glaring at him from her seat.

As Ron sat grumbling and rubbing his sore side Hermione blinked in disbelief and asked, "Harry's told you about me?"

Looking to Luna for permission to answer, he noticed her slight nod but she was also giving him a look that said he'd better mind what he said. "He just told us that he had found out your name and where you worked the day we saw you in the Leaky Cauldron," he replied, proud that he hadn't given too much away.

"Oh," Hermione said quietly, looking disappointed. Ron furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and Luna just whispered, "Leave it Ron, it's a girl thing, you wouldn't understand."

Figuring she was probably right Ron picked up a menu and waved Neville over to the table. "I hope you ladies don't mind company, but I'm starving. Since Luna had plans tonight I figured I'd be safe and eat out."

Luna looked at Hermione and said, "Ron can't even boil water, his Mum never let him nor his brothers near her kitchen. The one time he tried to make me dinner he almost burnt his flat down."

Hermione laughed, relaxing a little, and said, "Don't feel bad Ron, I can't cook either. My Mum tried to teach me and I ended up ruining her pots and pans."

The three of them laughed and continued to share stories of their days at school and their plans for the future, completely forgetting about the plan to tour the town. Ron and Luna learned a lot about Hermione that night and they both concluded that she was the perfect witch for Harry.

Later, when they were back at Ron's flat alone, they both agreed to formulate a plan to make Harry realize the mistake he had made by letting her go.

A week later they had the perfect opportunity to put their matchmaking plan into motion. Luna's birthday was coming up and Ron was throwing her a big party; it wouldn't be their fault if Harry and Hermione just happened to bump into each other there.

~*~

Hermione was at work Monday morning, getting the store ready to open when Edna walked through the door wearing her usual cheerful smile. "Good morning Dear, how are you feeling today?" she asked as she set her stuff in her office.

"I'm okay," replied Hermione, "My stomach is a bit queasy today but I'm sure I'll feel better in a tick or two."

"Yes, many a pregnant woman has suffered from morning sickness," Edna said, her voice full of sympathy, "Just drink plenty of tea and try to eat some biscuits; it's supposedly what all the pregnant women eat and drink when they have bouts of morning sickness."

"I tried to drink some water this morning and I couldn't keep it down long," Hermione answered quietly as she closed her eyes and waited for another wave of nausea to pass.

"Why don't you go home and rest dear?" Edna asked with concern.

"Because my Mother is home today and I just can't cope with another day of lecturing on how this is my fault and I brought it all on myself by not thinking before acting," Hermione recited as she rolled her eyes, "I would much rather stay here and work, it might help me keep my mind off how terrible I feel."

"Suit yourself, just promise me that if you feel any worse you'll go home and go straight to bed," Edna said with her best Motherly look.

"I promise," Hermione replied, loving that Edna cared about her so much. "I'm going to go straighten up the window displays before I unlock the door."

"Alright, I'll be in my office catching up on paperwork if you need me," Edna replied.

Hermione headed up to the front of the store and started organizing a pile of Hogwart's Transfiguration texts. While she worked she started humming to herself and making a mental list of other things she needed to get done that day. As she finished arranging the last stack she had the strange feeling that she was being watched. She looked out the window and jumped as she came face to face with Harry.

~*~

'Shit!' Harry thought as Hermione looked up and saw him standing there staring at her as she worked. He had just been walking towards Neville's cafe when he spotted her at the window; she had looked so beautiful and happy that he just couldn't tear his gaze away. He thought that he would be quick enough to dart out of her line of sight before she noticed him there but he had been too preoccupied and was caught like a deer in headlights. Not knowing what to do, he smiled, gave a lame wave and mouthed, "Hi."

He watched as her brows furrowed in confusion and her eyes seemed...hurt. She stood there watching him watching her and he squirmed uncomfortably under her penetrating gaze. Thankfully Ron had rounded the corner and called out to him, "Hiya Harry! Fancy meeting you here!"

"Ron!" Harry replied gratefully as he walked away from the window and Hermione's hawk-like stare, "What's up mate?"

"I was just on my way to Neville's to get some breakfast," Ron answered, "Want to join me?"

"Absolutely," Harry replied happily, wondering if Ron had any idea what he had just saved him from.

~*~

Hermione finally recovered from her shock and surprise a few minutes later. Looking at the spot where Harry had just been standing she shouted, "Why that rotten, lousy, pathetic excuse of a human being! He has the gall to wave and say Hi to me as if we're old friends? Who the hell does he think he is?"

Edna came hurrying out of her office when she heard Hermione shouting and rushed to the front of the store where she was working. Looking her over to see if there was anything bodily wrong, she looked at Hermione with wide eyes and asked, "What is it Hermione? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Hermione tried to slow her breathing when she saw how worried Edna was and trying to call on all her reserves of patience to calm down she answered, "That sorry excuse for a wizard had the gall to stop and say hello to me!"

"What wizard dear?" Edna asked, looking out the window where Hermione was wildly gesturing to a certain spot.

"Harry!" she shouted. Closing her eyes, she pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. "I felt someone watching me and when I looked up he was there, staring at me," she explained, "He smiled, waved, and said hi."

"Oh my," Edna said, "And what did you do dear?"

"Nothing," Hermione replied exasperated, "all I could do was stare with my mouth open. I just couldn't believe he was standing there as if we were old friends after the way he walked away from me that night." Trying to choke back tears she looked to Edna and asked, "He's not spoken to me since...he doesn't want me. What is he doing? Why doesn't he just leave me be?"

7. Life Goes On

~A/N> Thank you so much for all the great reviews and feedback! I'm glad that most of you are enjoying this story because I have enjoyed writing it so much. It's going to be much more light-hearted from here on out, not so much drama and angst. Thanks to Spaz for her beta work, and I hope you enjoy the chapter! The next update will be next Saturday :)

Harry walked quietly next to Ron, feeling like a complete git. Just seeing Hermione again made his heart beat a little faster, and she looked so beautiful standing there, her skin glowing in the early morning sunlight. The look on Hermione's face though was one of sadness and he thought he saw vulnerability there too; the thought that he brought pain into those beautiful brown eyes of hers was almost unbearable. She'd already been hurt badly by that Mike bloke, and then he had swooped in on her only to leave abruptly when she had told him about the baby. He had never felt so disgusted in himself; he couldn't imagine what she thought of him. Looking over at Ron he shuddered; he could only imagine how disappointed Mrs. Weasley would be with him if she found out. She had already let him know that she disapproved of the many girls he had gone out with, but if she found out he had dropped a girl just because she was pregnant...he would never hear the end of it.

"Harry?" Ron asked, snapping Harry out of his thoughts, "Are you even listening to me?"

"I'm sorry Ron, I've been preoccupied lately," he explained, "What were you saying?"

Ron shook his head with a small smile on his face. He knew exactly who was occupying Harry's thoughts, which meant that there was a good chance for Luna's plan to work. "I'll tell you inside," he said, gesturing towards the door to Neville's Cafe.

"Hello Harry, Ron," Neville greeted, "Fancy seeing you again so soon."

"Hey Neville," Harry replied, "Two bachelors for breakfast please."

Neville laughed and showed them to a table in the front of the empty cafe. After taking their orders and bringing their food out, Neville asked, "Do you mind if I sit and eat with you? I was running a bit behind this morning and didn't have time to grab something before I left my flat."

"Not at all," Ron replied with a mouth full of food. Harry laughed at the disgusted look on their friends face and said, "Don't worry Nev, you'll get used to it."

"I hope not." Neville replied, "That's just disturbing."

Harry laughed again and dug into his food, wondering where he would be without Neville's food. The Leaky Cauldron was okay for dinner or drinks, but their breakfast was horrid. "So," Neville said, interrupting his musings, "Will you be making an appearance at Luna's birthday party?"

"Luna's birthday party?" Harry repeated, looking questioningly at Ron.

"That's what I was telling you about when you zoned out on me," Ron said, "I'm throwing a party for Luna Saturday night and I wanted to know if you could make it."

"Of course I can," Harry said, "Doesn't she leave for Hogwarts soon?"

"In ten days," Ron said sadly, then realizing how sappy he sounded he added, "Which is good because I'll be able to act like a bachelor again."

"Right," said Harry and Neville at the same time with looks on their faces that said they knew he was full of shit.

"So when are you planning on asking her to marry you?" Harry asked with a knowing smirk on his face.

"Saturday night," Ron replied, his face turning a bright red.

"Good for you mate!" said Neville happily. Smiling at his two friends he got up from the table, and after grabbing their empty plates said, "Well, I need to get back to work, I'll see the two of you Saturday night if not sooner."

"See you Neville," replied Harry as he looked back at Ron. Watching him for a moment in disbelief he said, "I never thought you would get married right after school."

"Neither did I," Ron replied with a smirk as they got up and made their way out of the cafe.

~*~

Hermione looked in her mirror after trying on yet another one of her tops from her limited wardrobe; heaving a heavy sigh she said to herself, "It's no wonder you're alone Hermione, you haven't bought any new clothes in two years and what you own now makes you look frumpy."

As she yanked the offending shirt off and tossed it onto the growing pile of discarded clothes on the floor, there was a light rap on her bedroom door and then her Mother walked in without invitation or reply. Taking in her daughter's state of undress and the pile of clothes on the floor she asked, "What are you doing Hermione?"

"I'm trying to find something to wear to the party tonight Mum," Hermione replied tersely, hoping to avoid another confrontation with her. They had been arguing about it for two days now and Hermione was at her wit's end; her Mother seemed to think that, because she was pregnant, Hermione shouldn't be going out. Supposedly it was unfair of her to put herself out there as being available to any bloke that wanted her when she was carrying another's child. Merlin forbid she actually go out and be with witches and wizards her own age...she may even establish a social life for herself which would leave her Mother home alone most of the time.

"You're going to go?" her Mum asked angrily.

"Yes, I'm going to go," Hermione replied, "And I would appreciate it if we could not argue about it again. I'm not looking for a quick shag, Mum. I'm going out to meet some people my own age and possibly make some new friends. I refuse to stay cooped up inside this house like you just because of what people might say about me...especially when I'm not even showing yet and no one knows."

"But Hermione..." her Mother said, trying to convince her not to go, when Hermione interrupted her.

"No more 'but's Mum, I'm out of school, I'm of age, and I am going to Luna's party," she stated quietly while staring into her Mother's eyes, trying to convey that her decision was final.

After a moment of complete silence her Mother's eyes narrowed angrily as she glared at her only daughter and said, "Fine then, go and party like some irresponsible little slag, spread your legs for another worthless bloke who will only break your heart again. Just don't expect me to be here to piece you back together again afterwards."

Struck by her Mother's harsh words, Hermione just stood there with her mouth open, unable to respond. After she watched her stalk out of the room Hermione regained her senses and hurriedly grabbed at the last shirt left hanging in her wardrobe. She yanked it over her head and after giving herself a quick once-over in the mirror she decided that she looked good enough; she snatched her handbag from her dresser and walked quickly out of the house, not even bothering to say good-bye to her Mother.

Hermione had planned to floo over to Luna's house, but her Dad had their fireplace cut off from the floo network because of some strange conspiracy theory he had (Hermione had listened to the first five minutes of the story and then had tuned it out after "snorkaks" had been mentioned) and her Mediwizard had said no apparating; since Luna and her Father lived in a muggle neighborhood, she hailed a taxi. After giving the driver directions, Hermione sat back and took a deep breath. She felt some of the tension seep out of her and tried to put into context the argument she had just had. She didn't think she was being unreasonable by wanting a life of her own; did her Mum expect her to stay there for the rest of her life instead of finding a place of her own? If that were the case then her Mum was going to be shocked; Hermione had been saving up her earnings and Edna had already promised her the apartment that was over Flourish and Blotts. It was time for her to go out on her own; she knew her Mum would second guess everything she did with the baby and that would just cause a bigger strain on their relationship. She and the baby could start a life on their own, one without her Mother around trying to tell her what to do.

~*~

Harry checked his appearance in his mirror once more and liked what he saw. Picking up his robe from his bed he headed out to the sitting room and made sure to grab Luna's present off the table. Ron had been so nervous about proposing in front of everyone that night that he went over a couple hours before the party started to see if Luna needed any help. Harry was glad that he left early; Ron had been wearing a path in the carpet from his frantic pacing and silent conversations with himself.

Focusing on what Luna's sitting room looked like, Harry closed his eyes and a few ticks later was standing in the quaint room. By following Ron's voice he found everyone in the kitchen, standing around and catching up on each other's life. For the most part it was Ron's family; Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, and Neville were all talking amongst themselves when Ginny looked up and noticed him standing there.

"Harry!" she exclaimed as she rushed up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

After happily returning her hug he held her out at arms length and said, "You look more beautiful every time I see you Ginny."

"Thank you Harry," Ginny replied, blushing.

Neville walked up next to her and with a serious look on his face asked, "You're not hitting on my date, are you Harry?"

"Your date?" Harry asked, pleasantly surprised. He had known that Neville had feelings for Ginny while they were in school, but Neville was always too shy to act on his feelings for the youngest Weasley. It seemed he finally bolstered up enough confidence to ask her out which was great considering that he and Ron had been worried for a while that she was interested in Draco Malfoy.

"I finally got some free time the other day so I went to Neville's cafe and he was sweet enough to ask to be my escort to Luna's party," Ginny answered, smiling up at Neville, causing his cheeks to become slightly pink.

"That's great you two," Harry said and noticing that Ron was trying to catch his attention said, "Will you excuse me? It seems my flatmate has something he wants to discuss with me."

As Harry made his way over to Ron he noticed that his best mate didn't look so good; he seemed more pale than usual, which caused his freckles and hair to stand out more, and there seemed to be a thin sheen of sweat across his brow. "You alright mate?" Harry asked concerned.

"I will be once I get this over with," Ron replied, "I don't know what I was thinking when I decided to do this tonight, with all of our family and friends around."

"You were thinking how Luna would love for her Father and close friends to be there when she got engaged," Harry replied, clapping his hand down on Ron's shoulder. "It's a good idea, you just need to steel your nerves and do it as soon as possible."

"Right, right..." Ron said while seeming to stare at nothing, "Soon as possible..."

"You can do it, and it's not like she's going to turn you down," Harry said, trying to be reassuring.

"She might say no?" Ron asked, looking stricken.

"No, no, that's not what I said. You know she's going to say yes Ron, so stop worrying about it," Harry replied, and before he said the wrong thing again said, "I'm going to go say hello to your Mum and Dad, I'll see you in a bit."

"Yeah," Ron said, not really paying attention to what his friend was saying. Harry knew he was probably visualizing all the ways Luna could say no to his proposal and tried not to feel bad about the fact he'd given Ron more cause to worry.

Harry made his way to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to say hello and catch up with them. It had been a while since he'd been to the Burrow, and he knew that Mrs. Weasley was a little put out with him for not visiting more often. As they caught up on each other's lives Harry heard Luna greeting various guests as they arrived, but didn't really pay any attention to who they were. Suddenly a pair of hands covered his eyes from behind and a soft, seductive voice asked, "Did you miss me lover boy?"

"L-Lisa?" Harry asked in disbelief. When she took her hands away and spun him around he saw that his fears were confirmed. Lisa Simmons, a one-time shag he'd indulged in right after Lavender broke up with him, stood there smiling at him. Before he could say anything she stepped forward and pressed her lips to his; when she tried to get him to open his mouth for her Harry pulled back, breaking the kiss, and asked, "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm saying hello to my favorite lover," she replied, causing Harry to cringe in embarrassment as he felt Mrs. Weasley's eyes boring holes into the back of his head. "It was rude of you not to owl me after the night we shared Luv," she said, running her hand lightly down his arm.

"I-I left you a note," Harry stammered, trying to avoid her piercing blue eyes; the witch had a stare that would make Voldemort squirm.

"I think I deserved more than a note," she said quietly. Harry heard the undertone of anger and started to mentally kick himself in the arse. Why did he have to let his hormones run rampant all the time, and why did he always seem to pick the mental birds?

"Yes you did, I'm sorry," he replied, trying to soothe her hurt pride, "What I did was wrong...I should have owled you afterwards and told you I didn't want to see you anymore instead of ignoring you the way I did."

"That's alright, you can make it up to me," Lisa purred seductively as her hand glided down his chest, "the shag we had that night was the best I ever had."

"Erm..." Harry said, looking around frantically for someone to help him out of this, "T-That sounds like fun, but..."

As Luna opened the door to let in another guest Harry looked up; he spotted her walking through the door and a brilliant idea came to mind. He knew she was going to be very angry with him and that she would demand an explanation, but if she would just go along with him on this...

"Hermione!" he called, nearly dragging Lisa along with him as he quickly made his way towards Hermione. "I'm so glad you're finally here," he said, praying she would see the desperation in his eyes. Before either witch could say anything he said, "Hermione, this is Lisa, an old friend of mine." Trying to ignore the daggers that Lisa was glaring at him Harry turned towards her and said, "Lisa, this is my girlfriend, Hermione Granger."

Lisa looked at Hermione angrily and then turning quickly back to Harry, she slapped him across the face. "You great prat!" she shouted and then stomped away from him.

As Harry stood there rubbing his smarting cheek he dared to look at Hermione and saw her glaring at him. "Harry Potter, do you mind telling me what the bloody hell that was all about?"

~Please review, it only takes a minute and I greatly appreciate it!~

8. Confusion

~A/N> Thank you so much for the great reviews on the last chapter! I'm sorry I haven't responded to any of them, I've just been really busy and my spare time has been spent writing new chapters. Thanks to Spaz for her beta work on this chapter and to Poppywillow for her help and suggestions. The next update will be in one week! :)

"Well?" Hermione asked impatiently as she stared Harry down, "Why did you just introduce me as your girlfriend? How dare you! Especially after you blew me off the way you did after we had tea. I mean really..."

"Hermione!" Harry said, breaking into her tirade, "I'm sorry I didn't, I..."

Before he could say another word Hermione's hand connected with his other cheek and almost knocked him off his feet. "How dare you!" she almost screeched as she stood there with her fists balled at her sides.

"Would everyone please stop hitting me!" Harry implored, rubbing both cheeks as they stung and tingled.

"If you weren't such a tosser you wouldn't be getting slapped around," Hermione spat angrily.

"Look, Hermione," Harry started, only to be interrupted again.

"Don't," she said, holding a hand up towards him to stave off his explanation and without another word she walked away, leaving Harry alone staring after her.

"Bloody hell Harry, you're popular with the birds tonight, aren't you?" teased Ron as he stood next to him.

"Sod off," he replied, glaring at Ron, "What is she doing here anyway?"

"Which one?" Ron asked, unsuccessfully stifling a smile.

"Both actually," Harry answered.

"Well, Lisa is here because she's a friend and Hermione is here because she and Luna have become good friends over the past couple of weeks," Ron explained, "They've been going out quite a bit lately, I've even had dinner with the two of them a couple of times. Hermione seems to be a great girl."

"Yeah she is," Harry muttered, looking over to where she and Luna were conversing in a corner.

"What was that?" Ron asked humorously.

"Nothing," Harry replied shortly, angry with himself for letting that slip. "I think I'll stay away from the both of them."

"I think that would be a good idea, unless you like getting slapped around by women," Ron replied cheekily, "Some blokes are into that sort of thing from what I hear."

"Wanker," Harry replied, shooting him a 'drop dead' look. Deciding he'd had enough of females for a little while Harry made his way over to where Arthur Weasley was talking with a group of wizards from the Ministry.

~*~

"He's such an insufferable git!" Hermione exclaimed, stabbing her thumb in the direction of where Harry stood, "I've never seen a Wizard with such nerve, not even my ex-boyfriend!"

"What happened?" Luna asked curiously.

"He just walked up to me and introduced me to some witch as his girlfriend," Hermione answered, "He asks me out, we have a great time together, and then he blows me off...where does he get off using me as a convenient escape from some groupie?"

Just then Ginny walked up next to Luna and said, "So how's the party going?"

"Great so far," Luna replied, "Ginny, I'd like you to meet Hermione Granger, she works at Flourish and Blotts. Hermione, this is Ginny Weasley, Ron's sister and one of my best friends."

"Nice to meet you," Hermione greeted, smiling at the vivacious redhead.

"Nice to meet you too," Ginny replied warmly, "Luna said you just moved here a little while ago after finishing up at Beauxbatons?"

"Yes, my Father passed away suddenly and my Mum wanted to move straight away to be closer to our relatives," Hermione answered, "There wasn't really any reason for me to stay in France so I moved back with her."

"Hello ladies," Neville said, walking up to their group with a friendly smile, "Oh Hermione, it's nice to see you again!"

"Hi Neville," Hermione replied happily, "How's your cafe doing?"

"It's a little slow, but my repeat business is building every day," he answered cheerfully.

"You've met Hermione already?" Ginny asked.

"We were introduced when Harry brought her in for dinner one night," Neville explained, "Luna and Hermione have come in for lunch a couple of times since then too."

The four of them continued to talk, asking Hermione questions about Beauxbatons and how she liked working for the incomparable Edna, when Ron walked over with three glasses of Firewhiskey. "Here you go," he said, handing one to Luna and the other to Hermione.

Just as Hermione was going to thank Ron and give the drink back with an explanation that she wasn't a drinker, Harry rushed over to her and said, "You can't drink that!" and snatched the glass out of her hand.

"Harry, what are you doing?" Ginny asked, surprised by his behavior.

"I'm, um...I'm..." Harry floundered, trying to come up with an explanation that wouldn't give anything away. Chancing a glance at Hermione, he cringed at the angry, put out look that was on her beautiful face.

"Luna, would you please tell me where the loo is?" Hermione asked quietly, trying to keep her tears at bay.

"It's just down the hall, second door on the right," Luna explained, looking confusedly between her and Harry.

"Thank you," she whispered, and as she walked away from the group Harry followed her, trying to apologize for his actions. "I didn't think about what I said before I said it," he explained, "I'm sorry."

Stopping in front of the bathroom door, Hermione turned towards him with glistening eyes and said, "Would you please just leave me alone? You've made it quite clear that you want nothing to do with me, so I suggest that you go find one of your groupies to bother and let me be."

Harry watched helplessly as she walked into the bathroom and closed the door in his face. Running a hand roughly through his hair, he turned and made his way back to the party, determined to come up with some way to show Hermione how sorry he was. Just as he was about to join Ron and Neville in the kitchen, Luna walked up next to him and grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks.

"Harry, what's going on with you and Hermione?" she asked, "Is she okay?"

"I don't know," he replied, not meeting her eyes, "I really like her but I think I've screwed things up too badly; I'm not sure she'll ever trust me again."

"I'm sure that's not true Harry," Luna replied sympathetically, "Who could ever resist your charm and wit?"

Smiling sadly at her light-hearted attempt to cheer him up, Harry looked at her and said, "Ron is one lucky bloke to have you in his life."

"I know," she replied, "And I'm lucky to have him too. Now, since you're obviously not going to tell me what's going on, I'm going to go talk to Hermione and make sure she's okay."

Luna placed a quick kiss on Harry's cheek and walked off in the direction of the bathroom. Harry watched as she disappeared down the hall and hoped that she would be able to help smooth over the mess he had just created.

~*~

Hermione stood in the locked bathroom, staring at her tear-streaked face in the mirror. 'Why doesn't he just leave me alone?' she thought gloomily to herself. As she splashed cold water on her face there was a knock on the door and Luna's voice called, "Hermione, can I talk to you?"

As she slowly dried her face off with a towel, Hermione decided to let Luna in. She knew that Luna would be concerned as to what had happened, and if there was anyone she could trust it was Luna; they may have only been friends for a short time, but somehow Hermione knew that Luna was someone who would never betray her.

Luna was surprised when the bathroom door slowly opened and Hermione stood there, gesturing for her to come in. "I hope you don't mind talking in here," Hermione said, closing the door behind her and then uttering a locking and silencing charm to ensure their privacy.

"Not at all," Luna replied with a friendly smile. After a moment of silence she asked, "So, can I ask what just happened between you and Harry out there?"

Hermione smiled; Luna's directness was one of the thing's she liked best about her, that and her honesty. Taking a deep breath, Hermione proceeded to fill Luna in on her condition; how it happened, how Michel had chucked her and how she had confided in Harry the night they had gone out. Luna stood quietly, listening intently to every word, and when she was finished Luna walked over to her and hugged her gently.

"I'm so sorry Hermione, I can't imagine how I'd feel if I were in your situation," Luna said quietly, "But I hope you know that if you ever need anything, even a labour partner, I'm here for you."

"Thank you," Hermione replied with tears in her eyes. She had known that Luna would understand, but she had been relieved to hear the caring in her voice after she had finally confided in her. Of course her Mum and Edna knew, but Luna was her age, knew what she was going through and hadn't abandoned her.

"Wait a tick," Luna said with a touch of annoyance in her voice, "You're telling me that you told Harry about the baby and that's why he didn't want to see you anymore? That just doesn't seem like Harry...are you sure that's the reason? Did he actually tell you that?"

"Edna said the same thing and I thought...but you know what it's okay, it wouldn't be fair of me to expect Harry or anyone else for that matter to be with me while I'm carrying another wizard's child," Hermione explained tearfully gesturing to her slightly rounded stomach, "This is my responsibility. I'm sure Harry wants to find someone he can start his own family with, not take responsibility for someone else's family."

"Does Michel know?" Luna asked carefully, afraid she might upset Hermione more.

"No, and I don't have any immediate plans to tell him either," Hermione replied. "I feel like such a fool. I let him take advantage of me and then he walked away from me when I needed him the most. He would probably skiv off to Australia if he found out I was carrying his baby."

After a few moments of silence, Hermione wiped the tears from her face and took a long, shuddering breath. "I think I'm going to head home," she said, "I hope you won't be angry with me if I don't stay for the rest of your party?"

"Of course not," Luna replied, "You look utterly exhausted and I understand that it might be uncomfortable for you to be here with Harry. I'm just sorry he acted the way he did and upset you; really he's usually not like that."

Giving Luna a quick hug Hermione said, "Thank you so much for listening and understanding, it felt good to finally tell you about the baby. I'm just sorry I didn't say something sooner."

Luna smiled at her and said, "It's okay, I know how hard it is to trust people you've just met, and after all that you've been through lately it must have been doubly hard for you to confide in me."

After Hermione splashed some more cold water on her face, trying to erase all evidence that she'd been crying, she and Luna walked out of the bathroom and stopped cold; Harry was standing just outside the door, leaning against the wall with an apologetic look on his face.

"Hermione..." he started, but Luna cut him off by saying, "Harry, don't you think you've done enough for one night?"

Surprised by his friend's sudden change towards him, Harry said, "I just wanted to apologize Luna, that's all."

"It's okay Luna," Hermione said, touched by her protectiveness, "I need to talk to him for a moment."

Luna smiled at her and said, "Remember, if you ever need anything I'm here, okay?"

"Okay," Hermione replied. She watched as Luna walked back to the crowd of people in the sitting room and then turned towards Harry. "Harry, I..."

"Hermione, I am so sorry for the way I acted before," he interrupted, talking quickly, "It's just that I knew it was Firewhiskey in that glass and I reacted before thinking it through...I'm sorry."

Hermione watched him as he rambled on, her heart constricting at the thought of how much she liked him and the possibility of what could have been between them, if only...

"Harry, it's okay. It was a misunderstanding; you were only trying to look out for me and I appreciate it. I'm sorry for the way I reacted too." Trying to swallow down the lump in her throat and stop the tears from flooding her eyes, she said, "I really should go home, I'm tired and I have to work tomorrow morning."

"Oh, okay," Harry said, sounding somewhat disappointed. After a moment of silence, in which Harry struggled with himself internally, he asked, "Would it be alright if I accompany you home, so I know you make it safely?"

Hermione knew she should say no, she knew that it would just cause her more emotional pain later when he walked away from her again, but her heart spoke before her brain could register the words as she replied, "I'd like that."

Looking surprised by the fact she had said yes, Harry took a second to find his voice; "Just let me say my goodbye's and we can be on our way."

"Alright," she answered with a slight smile. He surprised her even more when he reached out and took her hand in his, leading her into the sitting room where his friends were. Ten minutes later, after she pacified Luna by promising to explain everything the next day, they walked outside into the cool night air. Hermione took a deep breath of the floral scented air and looked up at all the twinkling stars above them.

Harry looked over at her, prepared to ask her which direction they needed to go, and froze. She was standing next to him, staring up at the night sky as the full moon shone it's light down on her, bathing her in it's luminous rays. He had never seen anyone look so beautiful before and his fingers itched to touch the skin on her cheek to see if it felt as soft as it looked.

Hermione could feel his gaze, she knew he was watching her, but she didn't care. Her favourite time of the day was at night, it was always so quiet and she loved gazing at the moon and stars as they danced in the heavens above. Her Mother had always said she had her head stuck in either a book or the clouds, but she knew that she would rather travel amongst the stars instead of the clouds any day.

When she turned and met his gaze she was entranced by the way his green eyes were shining in the moonlight. It was as if they were glowing with a radiance that didn't come from the outside, but from the inside, as if from his soul.

He started to lean towards her, unable to control his actions, and she found herself unable to tear her eyes away from his. She knew he was going to kiss her, but for the life of her she couldn't make herself turn away.

When his lips lightly touched hers she felt as if a bolt of electricity ran from her lips to her toes. Her eyes involuntarily closed as she relished the feel of the kiss, and when his tongue sought entrance she opened readily, wanting as much of him as he was willing to give.

The moment she granted him access he started to explore her mouth, noticing the lingering taste of the pumpkin pasties and Butterbeer she had at the party, along with her own underlying essence. He was swept away in her softness and he loved the way she felt in his arms.

They stood there on the street, snogging for quite some time before reluctantly pulling apart. Harry leaned his forehead against hers, trying to calm himself; he knew how weary she was of him and a part of him was very surprised that she had let him kiss her in the first place.

"Harry?" she asked quietly, breaking into his thoughts, "I-I really need to go home, it's getting late and I'm really tired."

"I understand," he replied just as quietly as he pulled back to look at her flushed face and glazed eyes. "So should we take a taxi?" he asked, hoping she would say yes so that they could spend some extra time together.

"Sure," she agreed, and then watched as he hailed one. When they were both in the backseat, sitting so close together that their sides touched, she looked over at him and tried to keep down the feelings of desire she felt, along with her growing affection for him. Realizing the roller coaster they had both been on all night long, she said, "Thank you Harry."

"For what?" he asked with surprise and confusion in his voice.

"For being so understanding," she replied, smiling at him. When he just smiled back she leaned her head onto his shoulder as exhaustion overtook her and closed her eyes, immediately falling asleep.

9. Musings, Sweet Gestures and Surprise Reunions

~A/N> Another week, another update :) Happy Fourth of July weekend to everyone in the US, and to everyone else, happy weekend! Ready for some fluffy, sweet H/Hr goodness? Cause this chapter is full of it. Of course you may curse me at the end because I left a little cliffy, but you'll only have to wait until next Saturday, I swear. I hope everyone has a safe, fun weekend, and if you get a chance, check out the LIVE 8 2005 concert. It's on MTV all day and it's for a very important cause. Not to mention they've had some kick-ass performances already and soon Pink Floyd will be playing together for the first time in many years :) It's going to rock!! Thanks to Spaz for her beta work on this chapter and to Poppywillow for her help and support!

Harry watched the passing scenery outside the taxi's window as they drove towards Hermione's house, thinking about what a strange night it had been. He had planned to leave her alone, to not get involved with her...she was going to be a Mother soon...what did he know about babies or families? This was supposed to be the time in his life when he finally got to live his life without looking over his shoulder in fear of another attack by Voldemort. He had planned to see the world, to enjoy a life without responsibility...and then he had spotted her in the Leaky Cauldron and somehow all of those plans had been put aside.

He looked down to where her head lay on his shoulder and studied her face as she slept. She was a natural beauty, she didn't wear a lot of makeup and she seemed to prefer comfort over fashion trends when it came to her clothes. From what little he knew about her, she seemed to be the most down-to-Earth girl he'd ever met, and he found himself wanting to know everything about her.

As he watched her sleep, his gaze wandered to her stomach, to where her child was growing. He marveled at the fact that she was carrying a baby inside of her, nurturing it as it grew until it was time for him or her to come into the world; he had never been around a pregnant woman before and he wondered what it felt like to have a life growing inside of you. Was she afraid of the changes she would be going through in the coming months, or was she so happy about becoming a Mother that she was willing to take the good with the bad? Unable to stop himself, Harry slowly reached out and lightly placed his hand on her stomach, where he thought the baby might be. Looking at her face once again, hoping that he hadn't awakened her, he was shocked to realize that a part of him wished that it was his baby that she carried instead of that wanker ex-boyfriend of hers. Trying to come to terms with that thought, he pulled his hand away quickly, as if it had been burned by fire.

"Here we are," said the taxi driver, pulling Harry from his thoughts. Harry handed him some money and then turning his attention back to Hermione said, "Hermione, wake up, we're at your house."

"Wha?" she mumbled sleepily. As she slowly sat up and looked around she realized that she was still in the taxi with Harry and that they were parked outside of her house. "Home...right," she said as she dug in her purse for the money to pay the driver.

"I've already taken care of that," Harry said. Hermione watched as he slid over and opened his door, got out and then reached back into the cab towards her. She slid toward the open door and took his offered hand, allowing him to help her out of the taxi. Once the taxi drove away, Hermione held the money out to Harry and said, "Here you go."

Harry looked down at her hand, and seeing what she was holding he said, "That's not necessary."

"I'd like to pay you back," she stated, gesturing for him to take the money.

"Hermione, it's really no big deal," he replied, "I offered to escort you home, I rode in the taxi with you, so it's only fair that I pay."

"Just please take it," she said, grabbing his hand and placing the bills in his palm, she closed his fingers around it.

Deciding not to give him the chance to give it back, she started walking up towards the front door of the house. He caught up to her just as she was about to put the key into the lock and said, "Why couldn't you just let me do this for you?"

"I appreciate the offer Harry, but I don't like other people paying for me. When we went for tea, you asked me out, so that was different; I was going to take a taxi home tonight anyway, so I can pay for myself." She looked him right in the eyes as she said this, and he could see how important it was to her to be self-sufficient.

"Okay," he said, noting the surprised look that quickly passed across her face before she restored the defiant look that had been there before, "Next time is my treat."

She couldn't stop the smile that appeared on her face at his words; he hadn't argued with her, but instead had alluded to the fact that there would be a next time. Her heart sped up a little at the thought that he might want to see her again, but then sensible Hermione surfaced and she squelched the hopeful feeling, unable to deal with possibly another rejection by him.

Harry stood watching Hermione as she seemed to be lost in thought. Before he could overthink it, he bent down and placed a light kiss on her lips. When she looked at him, surprised by his actions, he said, "Would it be possible for me to take you out again sometime soon?"

Hermione stood staring at him, warring within herself; half of her wanted to say yes and half of her wanted to say no. She was afraid to spend too much time with him, she might develop even stronger feelings for him than she felt already...but the other half of her wanted to tell him she would absolutely love to go out with him again and then go into the house to do a happy dance. Unfortunately her heart once again answered for her before her brain could even take a moment to think of what she was going to say.

"Harry, I don't think..." she started, before being interrupted by him.

Harry reached out and took her hand in his while looking into her warm cinnamon eyes. "Hermione, I know I pulled a disappearing act last time, but to tell the truth I wasn't sure what I wanted at the time. Now I know that I just want to spend more time with you so that I can get to know you better; we can decide where this goes later."

Hermione stood there silently watching his face as he spoke; his face showed no emotion at all, but his eyes betrayed him because she could see the trepidation and fear that he was experiencing in them. Smiling slightly she said, "I'd like that."

"Great! How about Friday night? I'll pick you up around seven?" he asked.

"That sounds fine," she replied, "I get off work at five that night."

"It's a date then," Harry said smiling, "I'll come pick you up here." She watched as he closed the distance between them once more and placed another light kiss on her lips, lingering just a bit longer this time.

Resisting the urge to place her hand where his lips had been, she quietly said, "Good night Harry."

"Good night," he said and with a soft 'pop', he was gone and she finally let the goofy smile she had been fighting break out on her face.

~*~

When she got to work the next day, Hermione immediately told Edna what had happened the night before. Edna stood watching the emotions play across her face as she related the details of Luna's party and her conversation with Harry afterward. When she was done Edna smiled at her and said, "You're absolutely radiant!"

"What?" Hermione asked, confused by the statement.

"You're whole face just lit up as you told me about your evening," Edna replied happily, "I don't remember ever seeing you this happy before."

"I don't remember the last time I felt this happy," she replied still smiling, "I'm just trying to ignore the little part of me that keeps screaming that I shouldn't have given him a second chance."

"You just concentrate on the positive," Edna said, "I could tell that Harry was smitten with you when he came here to find you that first night. He just needed some time to realise that you were too wonderful to let get away."

They stood talking at the front counter, going from Luna's party to the order that needed to be placed the next day. As the door chimes sounded Hermione looked up to see Luna running towards them, a huge smile lighting up her entire face. "Hermione, Edna...guess what?!"

"What Dear?" Edna asked the obviously jubilant Luna.

"Ron proposed to me last night!" Luna practically squealed as she thrust her left hand out towards them; there on her ring finger sparkled a half-carat marquise cut yellow diamond sitting atop a thin band of gold.

"It's beautiful!" Hermione exclaimed as she walked around the counter to hug her friend, "Congratulations!"

"Thank you," Luna replied before Edna hugged her too.

"When's the happy day Luv?" Edna asked happily.

"We're planning on July of next year, that way I have some time after I finish school to make sure all the plans are set," Luna answered. Looking from Hermione to Edna she asked, "Would you two be my bridesmaids?"

"Of course!" Hermione answered immediately.

"Oh, I'm honored you asked me, but don't you want one of your other friends to stand up with you?" Edna asked.

"Absolutely not!" Luna replied adamantly, "You are the friend I want to stand up with me...you've been there for me whenever I needed someone to talk to...you're like a second Mother to me Edna, you've helped me when my Dad couldn't and I can't imagine getting married without you there."

Edna sniffled and wiped a tear off her cheek as she wrapped her arms around Luna and hugged her tightly. "I would love to be one of your bridesmaids Luv, I've always thought of you like a daughter."

Hermione watched the two with tears in her eyes, wishing that things could be like that between her and her Mum, when the chimes over the door sounded again. As she was wiping her eyes someone walked up behind her and asked, "Is everything okay?"

She turned quickly at the sound of Harry's voice to see him standing there, watching them with a concerned look on his face. "Everything's fine," she replied, "Luna was just telling us that she and Ron got engaged last night."

"That's wonderful!" Harry said, giving Luna a quick hug after Edna released her, "But why are the three of you crying?"

"It's a woman thing Harry, you wouldn't understand," teased Edna as she wiped her eyes.

"Oh, okay then," Harry replied, wanting to avoid an awkward moment; Merlin knew he knew next to nothing about witches, and he doubted he'd ever understand why they cried when they were happy.

"What brings you here lad?" Edna asked, "Or perhaps I should ask who brings you here?"

Hermione shot her boss a look that conveyed a warning for Edna to be quiet; the last thing she needed right now was for Harry to think she was going around gossiping about him. Interrupting her thoughts Harry replied, "I'm actually here to see Hermione."

Surprised, Hermione asked, "What for?" before realizing how rude her question was. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to just blurt that out like that."

"It's alright, I like a witch who speaks her mind," Harry answered laughing.

"Since when?" Luna asked cheekily, watching as Harry's cheeks took on a pink tinge.

Choosing not to reply to Luna's baiting, Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. Holding it in his hand he pulled his wand from his other pocket and tapped the box while quietly uttering the spell to return it to it's normal size. Hermione's eyes were wide as Harry held the present out to her and said, "I wanted to give this to you."

Taking the present, she quickly tore the wrapping off and when she opened the box a balloon in the shape of a star floated out. Hermione watched as it hovered in front of her for a moment and then jumped when the balloon popped, sending streamers flying through the air. When the streamers were gone there was a big stuffed owl, flapping it's wings and floating where the balloon had been; the owl was holding in it's beak a white baby sized t-shirt that read, "If You Think I'm Cute You Should See My Mommy". Hermione, who was trying to stop the tears from forming in her eyes again, looked at Harry with a smile on her face and asked, "Harry, what...I mean why..."

"Um, well..." Harry started, looking a bit embarrassed as the three witches stood watching him with sappy smiles on their faces, "I was doing some shopping this morning and I saw the shirt...I just thought it was something you might like to have for the baby, along with the owl."

Hermione grabbed the owl from where it hovered in front of her and closed the distance between her and Harry; walking up to him she hugged him and said, "Thank you so much Harry, I love the shirt and the owl, and I know the baby will too."

"You're such a sweetheart," Luna said as she walked up to him and hugged him too; Edna did the same and said, "That was a very sweet, thoughtful thing for you to do Harry."

Looking really embarrassed now, Harry cleared his throat, looked at Hermione and said, "I'm glad you like it, I wasn't sure what color to get and the saleswitch suggested white since a boy or girl can wear it."

Hermione smiled at him, her heart bursting with adoration for the humble wizard that was standing before her. "Do you know," she said happily, "that these are the first items I've gotten for the baby? You bought him or her their first stuffed animal and clothing...thanks again Harry."

"You're welcome," he replied, smiling back at her and loving how her face lit up with happiness. "Well I, uh, I need to get going. I'm supposed to meet Neville this morning at his cafe, I promised I'd join him for breakfast."

Hermione hugged him once more before he left and kissed him quickly on the cheek, her cheeks turning pink as Luna and Edna watched with knowing looks on their faces. As the three of them watched Harry walk out the door and wave before he disappeared from sight, Hermione turned to her two friends and said, "I think I am in big trouble...I thought I might have strong feelings for him before, but after this...I'm certain of it."

~*~

Harry walked happily down the street toward Neville's cafe, the image of Hermione's joyous, surprised face etched into his memory as he thought about how wonderful it had felt to give her the present. He really hadn't gone shopping with the intent to buy Hermione anything, but when he had come across the owl that looked just like his pet owl Hedwig, he couldn't resist...and the moment he saw the tiny t-shirt he knew that in Hermione's case it was true; she was going to make a wonderful Mum, with her loving nature and caring heart. He wished he could have stayed there with her a little longer, but it was embarrassing to have Edna and Luna making a big deal over the gifts. Besides, he would get to spend time with her Friday night, and nothing said he couldn't see her again between now and then.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't see the person walking towards him and bumped into them. Harry stopped and turned to apologize for his rudeness and froze.

"Well, if it isn't Harry Potter," Lavender Brown said seductively, "I've been hoping I'd see you again lover..."

10. Trials and Tribulations

~A/N> Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter! Sorry if there are any mistakes in this one, my beta recently quit on me and I had to do it myself (and I'm not very good at it). I'll try to post another chapter on Thursday since I doubt there will be many people reading fanfic next weekend (me included!) Thanks to Poppywillow for her help and support, and I hope you like the chapter!!

Harry stood there frozen for a moment before saying, "Lavender? W-What are you doing here? I mean, I thought you were going to Paris to study with that designer?"

"I am silly," she purred, "I don't leave for another month."

"Oh...well, good luck with that and all," Harry said lamely, wanting to run away from her but stopping himself. Turning slowly he started to walk away from her, only to be stopped when she put a hand on his shoulder. When he turned around to question her actions she quickly captured his mouth in a heated kiss, giving him no chance to stop her advances.

~*~

Luna walked out of Flourish and Blotts, on her way to Neville's Cafe to have lunch with Ron and his family, when she stopped suddenly. There on the sidewalk was Harry...kissing Lavender Brown? She quickly ducked around the corner of the building so that she could watch the pair, trying to calm her anger at the two-timing wizard. How could he kiss Lavender like that after the way he had just acted with Hermione?

With many angered thoughts flying through her head, Luna continued to watch them and felt a sick satisfaction as she watched Harry suddenly break the kiss and push Lavender away from him. When she saw the angry expression on his face she realized that maybe she had made the wrong assumption after all.

~*~

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" he asked angrily as he swiped his hand across his mouth with an almost disgusted look on his face.

Looking hurt and angry at the same time Lavender replied, "C'mon lover, after the way you acted on the train the last time I saw you, I know you still want me."

"Like hell I do!" Harry exclaimed, causing a few patrons on the street to turn in their direction, "I'm waaaay over you Lav, so get over yourself and stay away from me."

"How dare you!" Lavender shot back, the hurt disappearing from her lovely face, leaving it twisted in an ugly expression of rage, "I'm the best thing that happened to you Harry Potter, you'll never find someone as good as me."

"I already have," he replied, "No wait, strike that...she's better than you'll ever be. I've moved on Lavender, I found someone who seems to like spending time with me and doesn't want to just use me for sex. Now if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere I'm supposed to be." Stopping in mid-turn, Harry leveled his gaze on her and with a slight smirk gracing his lips he asked, "I bet you didn't 'see' that happening, did you?"

Lavender stood there sputtering as Harry turned and walked away from her once more. After he was quite a few steps away from her Harry heard her shout, "She'll get tired of you soon Harry, and when she does you'll come crawling back to me."

Harry just shook his head as he continued to walk, trying to remember why he had been with Lavender in the first place and unable to believe her nerve. Finally reaching the Cafe, Harry opened the door and relaxed a bit as he was greeted by Neville.

~*~

Luna smiled as she watched Lavender stomp down the street. She couldn't believe the nerve of Lavender Brown, just walking up to Harry like that and saying the things she said. But Harry had spurned her advances and Luna was proud of him; she was now also convinced more than ever that Harry had strong feelings for Hermione.

Luna heard the chimes on the shop door sound behind her, and when she turned she saw Hermione walk out. "Luna? I thought you had to meet Ron for lunch?" she asked.

"I do," Luna replied happily, "I uh, I just got a little sidetracked, I thought I saw a red-tailed ground newt over here and wanted to check it out; my Dad's really interested in finding rare magical creatures."

"Oh, well I was just going to grab some lunch at Neville's Cafe," Hermione said.

"That's where I'm meeting Ron and his family, so I'll walk with you," Luna replied and they started to make their way down the street.

~*~

When Harry followed Neville into the cafe, he was surprised to see the entire Weasley clan gathered around three tables that had been pushed together. When Ron looked up and saw him he said, "Hey Harry, come join us!"

As he walked up to the table Mrs. Weasley stood up and gave him one of her patented Molly hugs. After she finally let him go Mr. Weasley shook his hand in greeting and gestured toward an empty seat next to him.

"I'd love to join you guys," he said, "but I told Neville I would meet him here for lunch."

"It's alright Harry, I actually invited you here to have lunch with all of us, I thought it would be nice to have just family and close friends together to celebrate Ron and Luna's engagement," Neville said as he took a seat next to Ginny.

Taking the empty chair next to Neville, Harry greeted Ginny and turned to speak to Ron. When the door opened at the front of the Cafe Neville got up to greet whoever had walked in and stopped when Luna and Hermione started to make their way towards the table.

"Hello everyone," said Luna before bending down to place a kiss on Ron's cheek in greeting.

As everyone greeted her, Hermione looked uncomfortably around the table and said, "It looks like you're having a private party, so I'll just pop on over to the Leaky Cauldron."

"You'll do no such thing," Luna replied, "I would love for you to join us."

Harry had sat quietly next to Neville, watching Hermione as she talked with Luna, when Neville whispered, "You've got it bad Mate."

"What?" Harry asked, turning his head quickly to look at Neville.

Ginny was smiling at him as she said, "I've never seen you with such a...I guess you'd call it dreamy...look on your face before."

Harry felt his cheeks growing warm as he said, "Knock it off you two, I like her, but I'm not some lovesick fool."

Before the two could continue taking the mickey out of him he turned back to Hermione and said, "There's an empty seat next to me."

Hermione smiled shyly at him and made her way to the chair; as she sat down she said quietly, "I really am fine with getting my lunch somewhere else today, I didn't mean to crash Luna's party like this."

"Don't worry about it," Harry said, "The Weasley's are wonderful...I've spent every summer with them since I started Hogwarts and I consider them family; they really won't mind if you join us."

"Okay," Hermione said, still looking a bit uncomfortable. She greeted Neville and Ginny and then congratulated Ron on the engagement.

When Ron and Harry started a discussion about Quidditch and how Ron would be leaving to train with the Chudley Cannons in a few weeks, Mrs. Weasley smiled at her and said quietly, "It's nice to see you again dear."

"Hello Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said, "How have you been?"

"Wonderful," Mrs. Weasley answered, "I'm so proud of Ron, he's found the perfect witch to share his life with." Glancing over to Harry and Ron, who were now having an animated discussion with Neville, she asked, "I hope you don't mind me asking dear, but has your opinion of my Harry changed any since the last time we spoke?"

"Yes," answered Hermione happily, "I shouldn't have made such an assumption about him after only speaking to him one time."

"I'm so glad," Molly said, "he's been through so much throughout his life, he deserves to find someone who can make him happy."

Hermione was quiet for a moment as she glanced over to where Harry was still deep in discussion, and when she looked back at Molly she said, "I don't know if I'm that person or not."

Molly smiled at her and said, "If the way he acts around you is any indication, I'd say you make him very happy; his face seems to light up when he looks at you."

Hermione sat there as Molly's words sunk in and she felt a twinge of hope pass through her. She turned her attention to Harry when he asked, "What's got you so deep in thought?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, I was just thinking about something Mrs. Weasley said," she replied.

"You two have met before?" Harry asked, looking from her to Mrs. Weasley.

"We spoke in Flourish and Blotts when I went to pick up Ginny's books," Molly replied with a smile.

After that Hermione was swept up in the discussions that went on amongst the family as they ate an enormous amount of food, especially Ron. Hermione, feeling very full and sleepy, looked down at her watch and gasped. "Oh no, I'm fifteen minutes over my lunch hour, I need to get back to the shop!"

"I'm sure Edna won't mind," Luna said.

"Normally she wouldn't, but she has an appointment in fifteen minutes," Hermione replied, quickly standing up. "Thank you all so much for inviting me to have lunch with you, it was wonderful."

"You're welcome," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile, "You're welcome to join us anytime dear."

"Thank you Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said, then turning to Harry she lowered her voice and said, "Thanks again for the presents, I absolutely adore them."

"I'm glad you like them," Harry replied, and then quietly he asked, "So I'll see you Friday night?"

"Friday night at seven," Hermione said and was surprised when Harry took hold of her hand and squeezed it gently. "Well, I have to go," she said, squeezing Harry's hand back and then as she was making her way around the table she stopped long enough to face everyone and said, "I hope to see you all again soon!"

A chorus of good-byes erupted as Hermione turned to make her way out of the cafe and once she was gone Mrs. Weasley turned to Harry and said, "She's an adorable witch Harry, I wouldn't let her get away if I were you."

"I don't intend to Molly," he replied with a smile as he watched Hermione pass by the window on her way back to work.

~*~

Friday came quickly for Hermione; the shop was busy with all the Hogwarts students coming in with their families to get their books for the new term. At five o'clock Friday night Hermione went into Edna's office and asked, "I finished up the display in the front window, would it be okay if I went home now?"

"Of course Dear," Edna said with a smile, "I know tonight is your big date with Harry, so you just go get ready and have a wonderful time."

"Thanks Edna," Hermione replied as she walked over to where Edna sat and gave her a hug. Walking over to the fireplace, Hermione tossed in a handfull of floo power, stepped in and made the dizzying trip home.

~*~

Harry stood in front of his closet trying to decide what to wear; he had suddenly realized that almost all his clothes were black or some other dark color and he couldn't seem to find an outfit that was suitable to wear. 'Since when do I care what clothes I wear?' he thought to himself and then answering his own question thought, 'Since I met Hermione.'

Finally deciding on a pair of black pants and dark green polo shirt, Harry tried to tame his hair a bit and realizing how senseless it was, he walked out of his flat and apparated to an apparition point down the street from Hermione's house. He clutched the bouquet of flowers he had conjured in his hand, hoping she would like them; it was a colorful mixture of Oriental lilies, Moonstone roses and Babies Breath tied together with a purple ribbon. Making his way down the street, Harry looked around the peaceful neighborhood and noticed the welcoming houses and tree laden yards; all the time he had spent locked up in the cupboard under the stairs he had imagined the house he would one day live in with a family of his own, and the neighborhood in the images looked exactly like this one.

Coming upon Hermione's house he walked up to the door and just before he knocked he heard yelling inside. He listened for a moment, recognizing one of the voices as Hermione's and the other seemed to belong to a woman also. Bracing himself for what he may be walking into, Harry rang the doorbell and the voices inside went silent for a moment. When Hermione opened the door she had a strained look on her face and her cheeks were flushed. "Hi Harry," she greeted, "Just let me get my purse and we can be on our way."

"Okay," Harry replied, watching her stiff posture as she made her way to a staircase and walked upstairs. Harry closed the door behind him and stood in the entryway; he almost jumped when a woman walked out of the room to his right and stood glaring at him. "Good Evening Ma'am," he said in greeting. Walking a few steps toward her he said, "I'm Harry Potter."

"So I heard," she replied cooly. She looked as if she were trying to size him up and Harry cleared his throat, uncomfortable with the silence.

When he heard Hermione descending the stairs he walked back to the door to wait for her; he watched as she walked up to him and said, "All ready, let's go."

"Hermione Jane, I swear...if you walk out that door, don't come back because you will no longer be welcome in my house."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise at the hateful tone the woman, presumably Hermione's Mum by the similarity of their features, used to speak to her daughter. Hermione stopped, frozen by his side, before turning around to face her Mum. "I won't be coming home then," she said angrily, "I will come by tomorrow while you are at work to get the rest of my things."

"Oh no you won't," her Mum replied, "Your Father and I bought those things for you, they don't belong to you."

Harry watched as Hermione walked right up to her Mother and asked quietly, "I'm a witch Mum, what are you going to do to stop me?"

The woman's mouth dropped open as Hermione turned towards Harry and made her way out the door. Harry followed her out and closed the door behind him, hoping her Mum wouldn't follow them outside to continue the argument. Placing his hand lightly on the small of her back he asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Hermione replied shortly. Looking at him apologetically she said, "I'm sorry Harry, I have no right to be short with you when it's my Mum I'm angry with."

"It's okay, after what I just witnessed I think you have every right to be angry and upset right now," he said with a small smile.

"I know you've made plans for tonight, but do you think we could go see Edna first?" she asked quietly.

"Sure, we have plenty of time," Harry replied as he checked his watch, "There's access to the Floo at the apparition point down the street, we can use that to get to the shop."

"Thanks," she replied. Harry smiled reassuringly at her and as they made their way down the street he took her hand in his; Hermione marveled at how that simple action helped to calm her nerves and somehow made her feel safe.

"So can I ask why we need to go see Edna now?" he asked politely.

"She mentioned before that I was welcome to move into the apartment above the shop and I need to see if her offer still stands," Hermione replied.

Harry looked at her and noticed that even though she was trying to put up a brave front, the hurt that the argument with her Mother caused shone through in her eyes. Stopping suddenly, Harry turned to her and said, "I know this may be a little unconventional, but what if we just get some take away from Neville's and go back to my flat? We can watch some movies and if you like you can stay the night, seperate beds of course, and then tomorrow I can help you move?"

Hermione stood there silently for a few moments, gazing into his eyes and warring with herself in her head. Could she trust him? She was sure she could, and if he did try anything she had her wand...if she was really truthful with herself she would admit that she really didn't want to be alone in a strange apartment that night. Deciding to take a chance on him she smiled slightly and replied, "Okay."

11. Moving Out and...Surprise!!!!

~A/N> Hello everyone! Only one more day to go until HBP!! I decided to post this weeks chapter today since I know everyone will be busy reading book six on Saturday :) Thanks for all the wonderful reviews on chapter 10 and I hope you enjoy this one as well. Thanks to Poppywillow for all her help, encouragement, and support!!!!

Harry and Hermione proceeded to floo over to Diagon Alley where they made their way to Neville's Cafe. After getting take away, they walked to Harry's flat which was just two blocks away from the shops.

When they walked in Harry was surprised to see Ron and Luna snogging on the couch in the Sitting Room. Harry cleared his throat noisily to get their attention as Hermione stifled her laughter; Ron and Luna quickly seperated, both of their faces turning pink with embarrassment. "Uh, hey Harry, hi Hermione...what are you guys doing here? I thought you were going out tonight?" Ron asked.

"There was some...trouble...at Hermione's house so we decided to get take away and eat it here," Harry replied, "Sorry about the interruption."

Seeing the smiles on their faces, Ron looked at both of them and said, "Ha, ha, you caught us snogging, now would you please let it go? Luna leaves on Sunday and we won't get to see each other tomorrow because she's spending the day with her Dad, so we decided to have a quiet night in."

"Okay, don't get your knickers in a twist!" teased Harry, "We'll just go into the kitchen to eat our dinner so you two can be alone."

Luna, who had been silent up to now, looked at Hermione with concern and asked, "What kind of trouble did you have at your house? I hope it wasn't anything serious."

"It was my Mum," Hermione replied, "She went mental when I told her I was going on a date tonight and forbid me to go. She didn't like it when I stood up to her and she proceeded to toss me out."

"What?" Luna asked, unable to grasp how a Mum could just toss her daughter out, "How could she do that when...well, you know."

Realizing that Luna had caught herself before revealing her pregnancy to Ron, Hermione said, "It's fine, I was planning on getting my own place anyway. I'll just have to do it sooner than I had expected."

Ron's face suddenly brightened as he looked at Harry and said, "Why doesn't she just move in here with us?"

"What?!" came three voices, surprised by Ron's suggestion.

"Well, I'll be leaving for training on Monday," Ron explained defensively, "She could have my room and I can transfigure the sofa into a bed until then; I won't be back until the end of the season and even then I'll have to start looking for a place for Luna and I." When Harry, Hermione and Luna continued to stare at him, he said, "This way Harry won't be alone all the time and Hermione shouldn't be living by herself, that's not safe."

Hermione had been struck silent by Ron's suggestion and since she didn't really know what Harry thought about the idea she decided to stay quiet. To tell the truth, she wasn't really sure how she felt about the suggestion yet either.

"That's a great idea Ronald," Luna said, smiling at her fiance.

"Ah...right then, Hermione and I will just be in the kitchen eating," Harry said, not quite recovered from Ron's sudden suggestion. He made his way into the kitchen, his mind going a mile a minute.

Hermione stayed in the sitting room with Ron and Luna. She walked up to Luna and hugged her as she said, "I'm going to miss having you around."

"I'm going to miss you too," Luna replied, "But I'll be back for two weeks at Christmas, that's not too far away, and we can write back and forth until then."

"Right," Hermione said, "Well, I better go eat while the food's still warm." She made her way to the kitchen where she found Harry sitting at the table, but he wasn't moving. Instead, he sat there with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Everything all right Harry?" she asked quietly.

"What do you think of Ron's idea?" he asked suddenly, ignoring her question.

"Um, I don't really know," she replied honestly, "What do you think about it?"

"I think he might be on to something," Harry answered, "I own this flat, so there wouldn't be any rent. And with you being...pregnant...and all, it probably would be better if you have someone around in case something happens."

"I couldn't just live here without paying any rent or chipping in for food," she replied, "I wouldn't feel right about it."

"We could work something out," Harry said, "I just don't like the idea of you being alone...and it would be nice to be able to spend more time with you."

Hermione sat there quietly contemplating the idea for a while; would it really be a good idea to move in with Harry? They were just starting to date...how would that affect their relationship? And would he expect 'more' from her? She was just getting used to the idea of dating him, she wasn't ready for anything serious...but she did have the baby to think about. They would be safer here and she would be able to save more money by living in the flat with Harry. Looking at him with uncertainty and weariness in her eyes, Hermione smiled shyly at him and decided she liked the idea of spending more time with him too. Ignoring sensible Hermione's protests, she steeled her resolve and said, "All right, I'll move in here instead, but we will be discussing what my rent will be. I want to pay my own way and help out with the cooking and cleaning too."

Suddenly a loud "Yes!" resounded from the sitting room and they both knew that Ron and Luna had been listening in. A tick later Ron called out, "Sorry," and they laughed as they heard Luna admonishing him for his outburst.

~*~

The next day Hermione, Harry, and Ron flooed to Hermione's house to get her things. Thankfully her Mum wasn't home when they got there, and they quickly packed her things by using magic. An hour and a half later they were back at Harry and Ron's flat, in what used to be Ron's room, unpacking and arranging her furniture the way she wanted it. All of Ron's things had been packed and put into storage earlier that morning; he would be leaving for training Monday morning, a full two weeks earlier than originally planned.

"Where do you want this?" Ron asked as he levitated a rocking recliner.

"Over there," Hermione answered, pointing to a corner. Ron set it down where she had pointed and looked around the room.

"It looks completely different in here already," he said.

"All that's left is...this," Hermione replied, and as she waved her wand the color of the room went from a dark blue to a light peach color. Turning to Ron and Harry she said, "Thanks for all the help guys. How about I pay you back by making dinner tonight?"

"Depends, can you cook?" Ron teased.

Hitting his friend in the arm, Harry turned to her and said, "That sounds great Hermione."

An hour later the three of them were sitting around the kitchen table enjoying chicken alfredo and garlic bread. Hermione marveled at how comfortable she was with Ron and Harry; she wondered if it would be the same once Ron was gone and it was just her and Harry. Coming out of her thoughts, Hermione laughed as she saw Ron shoveling another forkful of food into his mouth as Harry watched and just shook his head.

That night as they were turning in, Harry stopped by Hermione's door and knocked lightly. After hearing Hermione's quiet, "Come in," Harry walked into her room and stopped immediately. Hermione was sitting in the recliner, rocking slowly back and forth, with her hand on her stomach. She had a long, light green nightgown on and for the first time he could see the slight roundness of her belly.

As Harry sat there staring, Hermione couldn't help but notice a look of longing pass over his handsome features and she quietly asked, "What is it Harry?"

Quickly shaking off the longing he had been feeling, the same feeling he had in the taxi a while back, he focused on her and replied, "I just wanted to see if there was anything else you needed before I turned in for the night?"

"No, but thank you for asking," she answered. There was something about the way he was looking at her that was doing funny things to her insides. Shifting her gaze away from his she said, "Good night Harry."

"Good night," he answered. He walked to the door and with one last look back at her, he closed it and leaned his back against the door. He closed his eyes and tried to figure out what the hell was going on. He wanted nothing more than to walk back into her room and take her in his arms; there wasn't anything sexual about the way he was feeling, he just longed to hold her. There was something about Hermione that made him feel complete for the first time in his life.

Sighing in resignation, he continued down the hallway to his room, completely unaware of the fact that the girl behind the door was feeling the exact same way he was.

~*~

The next day was Sunday and found Harry, Hermione, Ron and Luna on their way down Platform 9 3/4. Luna was on her way to Hogwarts for her final year of schooling; Ron looked so miserable that Luna kept reassuring him that she would write to him every day.

After Luna boarded the train the three of them joined Mr. and Mrs. Weasley who were there to see Ginny off as well. They stood and watched as the train slowly pulled away from the platform; once it was out of sight Molly Weasley turned to them and asked, "Why don't the three of you come to the Burrow for some lunch?"

Harry turned to Hermione with a questioning look on his face and she turned to Molly and replied, "That sounds wonderful Mrs. Weasley."

"Please dear, call me Molly," she replied happily as they made their way out of King's Cross Station.

They spent the remainder of the afternoon eating, laughing, and discussing all things Muggle. Hermione learned that Arthur Weasley had a thirst for knowledge of all the things Muggles used on a daily basis and he asked all sorts of questions. She happily answered his questions, even when Ron said she was just encouraging him to ask more, and she enjoyed the feeling of family again; it made her realize just how much she missed her Dad and the heart-to-heart talks they used to have.

When they returned to the flat that night, completely stuffed with Molly's home cooking, Hermione settled onto the sofa as Harry lit a fire and sat down next to her. Ron came in a short while later to sit with them, only to get up fifteen minutes later when he recieved an owl from Luna. As he walked into the kitchen with his full attention on the letter, Hermione sighed and said, "They're lucky to have each other."

Harry sat quietly next to her, studying her face as she stared after Ron's retreating form, and asked, "Do you wish you were still with Michel?"

Hermione turned to look at him and saw that once again his eyes betrayed his calm demeanor. She smiled sadly and replied, "No, I realize now that he was just a foolish school-girl crush. I liked the attention he paid me and how the other girls were jealous that he was with me instead of them...I liked him, but it's not like I was madly in love with him."

Letting out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, Harry stared at her and thought about how foolish Michel was to let her get away. Shaking himself from his thoughts he asked, "Would you like something to drink?"

"Sure, how about some pumpkin juice," she replied. She watched as Harry got up from the sofa, made his way into the kitchen and returned a short time later with her drink. The two of them sat there until late into the night, talking about everything from school to what they wanted to do with their lives as Ron stayed in the kitchen writing back to Luna. Harry longed to ask questions about the baby, but he didn't want to risk having Ron overhear him. When the two of them finally went to bed it was well past midnight. As Hermione opened the door to her room, Harry said, "Good night Hermione," and kissed her on the cheek.

Hermione smiled at him and said, "Good night Harry." She watched as he made his way to his room and once he was out of sight she closed the door and placed her hand on the spot where his lips had just been. Smiling happily, she changed into her night clothes and went to sleep quickly, knowing she would be dreaming about him that night.

~*~

After Ron left to train with the Chudley Cannons, Harry got into the habit of meeting Hermione for lunch every day she had to work. He would go into Flourish and Blotts and wait for her relief to come in, then they would make their way to Neville's to eat. It was something they both enjoyed and the fact that Harry Potter was seen going into his Cafe almost every day was bringing Neville a lot of new business, for which he was very grateful.

The days and months passed quickly and before they knew it it was almost Thanksgiving. Hermione's small bulge had been growing rapidly and she now looked as if she had swallowed a football. Unable to hide it any longer, Hermione gave in and bought maternity clothes; unfortunately, the first day she wore them Rita Skeeter had been in the Cafe to get the latest scoop on Harry Potter and ended up getting far more than she expected.

The next day the headlines on the front page of the Daily Prophet read, 'Harry Potter: Father-To-Be?' with a huge picture of her and Harry walking out of the Cafe hand-in-hand. Hermione stood behind the register in the shop reading the horrid article with Edna reading over her shoulder. Her eyes grew wide as she skimmed over the private things they had printed about her and the hateful quotes some of her former classmates had given. The words started to swim out of focus as tears filled her eyes at the things she read. She heard the bell over the door sound and not a tick later Harry was standing next to her, looking at her with apologetic eyes.

"I am so sorry Hermione," he said, sounding miserable. "They had no right to publish this and I'm going to go to their office right now and demand an apology."

"It's okay Harry," she replied, her voice full of hurt and anger that wasn't directed at him, "I knew the chance I was taking by being seen with you; I just didn't think they would write such...hurtful things." Looking up at him, she gave a small smile and added, "Please don't go down there, you'll just be giving them more to write about."

"But..." Harry started to say, until he saw Edna shaking her head back and forth behind Hermione as she mouthed, 'Just leave it alone.'

Bowing his head in defeat, he walked up to Hermione and took the paper gently out of her hands. Taking her hands in his, he looked at her sadly and said, "I really am sorry that they did this to you; I never wanted you to get hurt like this, I guess I figured they were going to finally stop writing about my private life since there hasn't been anything written about me in a while. I was so stupid to believe they would leave me to live my life in peace, and now they've dragged you into it."

"It's okay Harry," Hermione said, and then walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him. Harry closed his eyes, marveling at how wonderful it felt to hold her like this. The two of them were holding each other, trying to comfort one another, when the bell sounded once more over the door. Deciding that Edna could take care of it Hermione stayed where she was, wrapped protectively in Harry's arms, when a voice said, "Well, well, well...it seems you've been keeping something from me Hermione."

Hermione's body stiffened at the sound of the voice and Harry reluctantly pulled away from her to look at the speaker. He watched as Hermione slowly turned towards the bloke; her eyes grew wide and her breathing quickened as she looked at him horrified and whispered, "Michel?"

(Dodges various items thrown by readers) I'm sorry for the cliffy, but I need something to make sure you come back to read the next chapter right? I hope everyone enjoys reading "Half-Blood Prince"!!

12. Hermione's Wrath

~A/N> (HUGS) to all of you who have read HBP and need some major H/Hr fluffiness. To everyone who hasn't read the book yet, here's an extra chapter :) I hope you enjoy this, and just to let you know this is the last pre-written chapter I have. I am going to work hard to keep up my weekly Saturday updates and I am also going to try to work on my other two stories if I can get some extra time. RL sucks! There never seems to be enough hours in a day. Major thanks to Poppywillow for her continuing encouragement, support and friendship and to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!

Harry stood there, looking back and forth between Hermione and Michel, feeling confused and uncertain. Seeing the way Hermione reacted to Michel caused many feelings; anger, jealousy, protectiveness and dispair seemed to be the most prominent. 'What the hell is this arsehole doing here?' he thought, and then the article suddenly came to mind. "Damn Rita Skeeter!" he said, unaware that he had spoken aloud and broken the trance that Hermione seemed to be in.

"M-Michel?" Hermione asked again, still unable to believe he was standing right in front of her, "What are you doing here?"

"It's not like I could stay away after I saw the article in the Daily Prophet," he replied with a phony smile, "I mean, that is my baby you're carrying, right?"

"Um, why don't we go somewhere and talk?" Hermione asked him, and then turning to Edna she asked, "Would it be okay if we used your office?"

"Of course Dear," Edna replied. Harry watched hopelessly as Hermione and Michel made their way to the office and when Edna looked at Harry she could tell that his emotions were in turmoil. "Harry, luv, are you all right?"

"I don't know," he replied honesty. He looked at Edna and said, "I just found her Edna, I can't let him take her away from me. I was a sodding prick to walk away from her the first time, I just...I can't lose her to him."

"Oh dearie, I don't think you'll have to worry about that," Edna replied as she walked up and gave Harry a hug. "I've seen the way she looks at you Harry; you already hold a special place in her heart. But Michel is the Father of her child and he will be in her life."

"Why do you really think he came here?" Harry asked looking back at the office where he could see the two of them in a heated discussion.

"I'm not sure," Edna replied, "But I don't think that any good can come from his visit."

~*~

"You want me to WHAT?!" Hermione screeched, unable to believe the bullshit that was coming out of Michel's mouth. "You actually expect me to go back to France with you and marry you?"

"Yes," Michel said with a calm that infuriated her, "That's my baby too, and it's only right that we get married and provide a family for him or her."

"Not bloody likely," Hermione spat, "You couldn't get rid of me fast enough before I moved back to London and now you suddenly show up concerned about giving our baby a family? What's the real reason you're here?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Michel replied, his calm demeanor slipping a bit, "I just told you why I came." When Hermione just stood there with her arms crossed over her chest glaring at him, he said, "Oh, all right. I noticed how cozy you and Potter looked in that picture; it seems his reputation for playing the hero and always doing the right thing is well earned considering he doesn't mind being seen with you when you're carrying my baby. I thought maybe, if he cared for you so much, that I could convince him to make me an offer to sign away my parental rights. I'm sure he'd gladly pay to have me out of your life and his."

"WHAT?!!" Hermione shouted as she advanced on Michel and shoved him against the door. "How dare you! You found out I was pregnant and going out with Harry Potter so you figured you would show up here and extort money from him? Why should he care if you sign your parental rights away? It's not like we're in a serious relationship, so why would he care what you do concerning our child?"

Michel studied her for a moment with a look of utter dislike on his face. She knew he had no feelings for her or for their baby...but his blatant disregard for her feelings and his cold approach to it all hit a spot deep within her that hadn't yet healed. She looked at him as he started to walk toward her and said, "Well what do you think the papers would pay for my story, hmmm? I bet they would love to hear how the great Harry Potter stole the Mother of my child away from me. Or I could tell them all about how you ran away when you found out you were pregnant and never intended to tell me...how you ran straight into Potter's arms so that you could seduce him and make him think the baby was his..."

Suddenly a resounding 'SMACK!' filled the room and Michels head snapped to the side with the force of the slap Hermione had just delivered. He turned back to look at her with anger in his eyes and when he started to advance on her she pulled out her wand and held it to his chest.

"Leave," she growled, "And don't you ever come back here again, do you understand? If you ever come near me again spewing threats and bullshit stories, so help me Merlin, I will kill you!"

"You haven't seen the last of me, mark my words," Michel spat angrily, "Your empty threats aren't going to scare me away."

"Get OUT!" she yelled, yanking the door open, "Stay away from me, stay away from Harry, and don't think you're getting anywhere near my baby; as far as he or she will know, you don't exist." As he slowly walked out the door, Hermione shoved him from behind to make him walk faster, hoping to get him out of the shop without him saying anything to Harry. When they passed by Edna and Harry and she saw Michel open his mouth to say something she pushed him quickly out the door. She watched as he stood outside glaring at her for a moment before he said, "That's my baby too, and I'll be damned if you're going to keep me from being it's Father," and then stalked his way toward the Leaky Cauldron.

Hermione jumped when she felt a hand on her arm, turning her around. When she saw the quizzical, caring look on Harry's face she broke into tears and let him pull her into his arms. She stood there with her face buried in the crook of Harry's neck as tears poured from her eyes and Harry ran his hand soothingly up and down her back, muttering "It'll be okay," and "I won't let him hurt you again."

~*~

Two hours later found Harry and Hermione back at their flat, sitting quietly at the Kitchen table drinking tea. Hermione had refused to talk about what had happened in the office to make her react the way she had, and Harry was bursting with impatience and curiosity. When Hermione had walked out of the office, shoving Michel out the door, he had never seen a more fearsome witch or wizard in his life; she probably would've given Voldemort a run for his money, that he was sure of.

Hermione stood up, breaking Harry from his musings as she quietly said, "I think I'm going to turn in now. Good night Harry."

"G'night Hermione," he replied. He hated how sad she looked; he knew she was upset, but he didn't want to push her into talking to him. He wanted her to confide in him because she trusted him, not because he kept bothering her about it. He watched her walk away and noticed how she hung her head and her shoulders slumped from the emotional weight she was carrying. He wanted so badly to make her feel better that his heart ached from it. Deciding a few minutes later that he mine as well turn in too, he rinsed out his cup and placed it in the sink. Walking down the hallway he raised his arms over his head, feeling his muscles stretching and protesting from lack of use. He made a mental note to start working out soon, before he became more out of shape than he already was.

He stopped abruptly as he heard Hermione sobbing inside her room and before his mind could overrule his heart, he knocked twice and walked in without her telling him he could. As he walked in he saw her in her recliner rocking slowly back and forth with her head in her hands as she cried. Her whole body shook as her tears cascaded down her face and Harry quickly crossed the room to where she was and dropped to his knees in front of her.

"Hermione, luv, what's wrong?" he asked, desperately wanting to help her, "Please talk to me."

She slowly raised her head and looked at him through her swollen eyes. His breath caught in his throat at the look of utter dispair that graced her beautiful face. Raising his hand up to her cheek, he gently wiped away the tears that lingered there and asked again, "Will you please tell me what's wrong? I can't stand to see you so upset."

She gave him a small shaky smile as she wiped the tears from her other cheek. "I'm sorry," she said with a hiccup from all her crying, "you must think I'm some daft blubbering pregnant woman."

"No I don't," he replied as he rubbed his thumb over her skin, "I think that something happened today that greatly upset you and for some reason you feel you can't talk to me about it." When his suspicions were substanciated by the look in her eyes he said, "You can tell me anything Hermione, I promise I will help you in any way I can."

Hermione took a deep, calming breath as she contemplated whether to tell Harry about her conversation with Michel or if she should just blame her behavior away as pregnancy hormones. Deep down she was scared that if she told him the truth he would leave her again and she didn't think she could bare losing him again. Deciding to tell him the truth in case Michel actually went through with any of his threats, she took another deep breath and said, "I'm upset about some things that Michel said today..."

She went on to tell him the entire conversation that took place in Edna's office, all the threats that Michel had made, and the true reason he had come to London. When she was finished she looked down at her swollen stomach and ran her hand lovingly over where the baby lay curled up safe and warm, oblivious to the trouble and turmoil its' Mum was going through. "Why would anyone want to exploit a helpless little baby like that?" she asked sadly, "He doesn't care about me or the baby at all, all he wanted was to somehow make money off of us."

Harry hadn't said a word the entire time, he had just held her hands in his while she explained what had transpired, giving her the support he felt she needed to get everything out. Now that she was quiet, he stood quickly and said, "I'll kill the sodding bastard, I swear to Merlin!"

Hermione watched as he paced angrily back and forth in front of her, coming up with various ways to maim, castrate, and kill Michel; she knew how he felt because it was the same way she had felt when she was pushing Michel out of the shop. The fact that he was angry at Michel and didn't seem upset with her made some of her anxiety subside. Now she just had to make sure he didn't act on the various thoughts that were running through his head.

"Harry, I didn't tell you everything to make you angry, I wanted you to know what Michel was up to in case he actually went through with any of his threats," she said, grabbing his arm to stop him from pacing.

Harry looked at her and sighed as he ran his hand angrily through his hair; the fact that Michel had only showed up to hurt her even more made him so angry that he wished he had the git in front of him right now so he could beat the shit out of him. Taking a calming breath, he looked at Hermione and said, "I'm sorry, I just want to strangle him for hurting you again."

Hermione smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him. When he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her back, she sighed at the comfort she felt and laid her head on his chest. As she listened to his heartbeat she closed her eyes, relishing the way he made her feel safe and protected from the big, bad world.

Harry held her in his arms, loving the way she fit against him perfectly. When she laid her head against his chest he lay his head on top of hers, enjoying the warmth and comfort he seemed to always feel when she was in his arms.

The mood was broken when Hermione suddenly pulled away from him, put her hand on her stomach and asked, "Did you feel that?"

"Feel what?" he asked, confused by her turn in behavior.

"I just felt the baby kick for the first time," she replied with a big smile on her face.

Harry shook his head 'no' and held his hands out toward her stomach; "Can I..."

Not even letting him finish his question, she grabbed one of his hands and placed it over the spot where she had felt the kick. He was a little disappointed when he didn't feel anything and seeing the disappointment on his face she said, "You might not be able to feel it for a few more months."

They both stood there for a moment, enjoying the silence and revelling in the new development that had seemed to lighten the mood a bit. Harry looked up from where his hand was resting on her stomach and asked, "What does it feel like...knowing that there's a tiny human being growing inside you?"

Hermione smiled sadly at how innocently child-like he sounded and realized he probably hadn't been around many pregnant women, if any at all. "It's the most wonderful feeling in the world," she replied.

Harry smiled at her and slowly withdrew his hand as he said, "I um, I should leave so that you can go to bed and get some sleep. You're probably tired after the trying day you've had."

"Um, yeah, I guess I should," she replied. Harry took a step toward her and slowly bent down to place a gentle kiss on her lips. "Good night Hermione."

"Good night," she whispered, her lips tingling from his kiss. She watched as he walked toward the door and just as he was about to step into the hallway she called out, "Harry, wait." When he stopped and turned to face her, she fidgeted nervously and before she lost her nerve she asked quickly, "Would you sleep with me tonight? I mean not that kind of 'sleep', but, I mean sleep next to me in my bed? I really don't want to sleep alone tonight."

Harry stood there silently, wondering if it would be possible for him to share a bed with her in such an innocent fashion. When he looked into her eyes and saw that there was still sadness lingering there he replied, "Sure, just let me go change into my pyjamas."

As he walked toward his room, Hermione let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding. She couldn't believe she had just asked him to share her bed, but a small part of her was aflutter at the thought. She wouldn't admit it aloud, but she had felt so lonely lately and the only time that loneliness seemed to disappear was when she was around Harry. Trying to quell her nervousness, she walked to her bed, removed her robe and crawled under the covers.

After quickly changing and brushing his teeth, Harry made his way toward Hermione's room once more. He couldn't sort out what he was feeling, but he knew there was a part of him that was excited to be able to lay next to Hermione, maybe even get to hold her while she slept. He just had to keep reminding himself that nothing sexual was going to happen; he didn't want to do anything that might screw up what was happening between them, whether it be friendship or romance. He knocked quietly so as not to walk in on her changing and opened the door only when she had said to come in. He manuvered his way toward the bed and slid under the covers next to her.

She turned toward him and with a small smile said, "Thank you for doing this Harry."

Harry smiled back at her and replied, "I understand, I've felt the same way myself a time or two." Harry watched as she yawned and snuggled into her pillow; he couldn't help but notice the look of contentment on her face and hoped that him being there was the reason for it.

"G'night Harry," she said sleepily as her eyes closed slowly.

"Good night Hermione," he replied quietly and a few moments later they were both sound asleep.

13. Christmas is coming...

~A/N> (HUGS) to all of you that read and reviewed the last chapter. It made me feel a bit better seeing that the chapter helped you forget about HBP for a little while. After the comments Jo has made this week, I just want to say that I am so proud to be a part of this ship. Everyone on this site and on the Live Journal communities was of course angered by what was said, but you took it with dignity and a maturity that will put R/Hr and H/G shippers to shame :) I want to say thanks to Poppywillow and a big thank-you to ChaserKT, who helped me work out a part of this chapter that I was having major trouble with. Happy reading!!

The following morning was an exercise in bashfulness. Harry and Hermione had awoke in a tangle; Hermione was facing Harry and he was facing her, with his arm wrapped tightly around her waist and her legs entwined with his. The moment the two of them opened their eyes, bright green met chocolate brown and both had a look of confusion on their faces for just a moment. When it dawned on them that they were in a very...familiar...sleeping position, the two of them untangled and rolled to opposite sides of the bed.

As Hermione swung her feet over the edge of the bed she grabbed her robe off the post of the bed where she had hung it the night before and quickly put it on. Harry also swung his feet over the side of the bed and sat running his hand through his hair and over his face sleepily. Reaching out toward the nightstand, he felt around until his hand came in contact with his glasses and he groggily put them on. He felt the bed shift as Hermione's weight was lifted off of it and he looked behind him to see her going into the bathroom. He took a moment to remember the way he had woke up and a small smile formed on his lips. Of the few times he had girls stay the night, he had never had the experience he had just had with Hermione; when he opened his eyes and realized how close together they were, how he had slept with his arm around her, he couldn't remember a time when he had felt so at peace, so rested...it had just felt right to wake up next to her.

While Harry mused over what had just happened, Hermione was doing the same thing in the bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror staring at her bedraggled image and chastised herself for feeling the way she was feeling at the moment. 'How stupid was I to think that I could sleep next to him and not feel anything' she thought angrily as she pulled and yanked a brush through her bushy hair. Deciding it was a lost cause she slammed the brush down onto the bathroom counter and felt tears spring to her eyes. She had just had the best sleep of her life and had woken up in the arms of a man she was falling in love with...and she had never felt so confused before in her entire life. 'How can I let myself fall for him after I swore not to get involved with anyone anytime soon?' she silently asked herself, 'After the way Michel treated me, I'd be better off by myself, raising my baby. But Harry is such a wonderful person...' Shaking her head to ward off anymore thoughts, she ran some cold water and splashed her face so as to erase the lingering sleepiness she felt.

When she walked out of the bathroom Harry was walking toward her bedroom door. Not knowing what to say, she watched him quietly as she longed to call out to him to stay...she wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed and curl up next to him again. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so calm or had slept so peacefully.

Harry could feel her presence behind him and knew he should have went back to his own room sooner. Stopping in mid-stride, he turned to face her and smiled awkwardly. "Um, I was just going to go to my room and take a shower," he explained, looking anywhere but at her.

"Oh, okay," she replied, watching him closely. She knew this would happen; he was acting strange and uncomfortable, and he couldn't seem to get away from her fast enough.

As if sensing her self-doubt, he walked up to her and ran his hand slowly up and down her arm. "How are you feeling this morning?" he asked, the concern in his voice almost undoing the calm facade she was trying so hard to keep.

"I'm better," she replied, "thank you Harry...for staying with me."

"Anytime," he answered honestly, "I have to admit, that's the best night's sleep I've had since I defeated Voldemort...actually the best night's sleep I've had, ever."

A genuine smile shone on her face at his comment and she said, "I can't remember the last time I slept so well either."

Smiling at her with a smile that lit up his eyes and all semblance of awkwardness gone now that it seemed nothing had changed, Harry said, "I'm going to shower and dress for the day...how about we have lunch out this afternoon?"

"That sounds wonderful," she replied happily, "I'll be ready in half an hour."

"It's a date," he said and then walked out of the room, his steps seeming just a bit lighter than they had before.

~*~

That night together in the same bed seemed to change the relationship between Harry and Hermione, but it was a change that neither of them noticed. Edna, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel happy for her favorite employee.

"Look at the two of you," she commented one afternoon, "You're so...comfortable with each other. And you take every available chance to touch one another."

Hermione, knee deep in Christmas decorations and seven months pregnant, looked at Edna and said, "What are you on about?" Harry, who was using his wand to hang garland and make a pile of paper mache Santa's and trees float near the ceiling, took his eyes off his work to give Edna a questioning look of his own.

"I'm sorry," Edna said, looking from Harry to her, "I get all sentimental this time of year. I miss my Charles so much...it just gets lonely at times." Blinking rapidly, Edna smiled and with an obviously fake laugh said, "Don't mind me, I'm just rambling on like an old loon."

Harry and Hermione's looks dissolved into one's of sympathy for their dear friend. Hermione dropped the string of beads she had been holding and walked over to Edna, wrapping her in as much of a hug as her stomach would let her give. "Why don't you come spend Christmas with Harry and I?" she asked, "You could stay with us Christmas Eve...we're having everyone over for a huge dinner...and then Christmas morning we're going to open presents and then make our way to the Weasleys."

When Edna looked unsure Harry said, "You should spend Christmas with us, we would love to have you."

"What about your Mother?" Edna asked as she turned toward Hermione, "Will you be spending time with her?"

"I don't plan to," Hermione replied, "I haven't seen or spoken to her since the night she kicked me out."

Edna looked saddened by this, but she had tried to talk to Hermione about her Mum before and it only led to Hermione getting upset, which wasn't good for her or the baby. "Oh alright, you've talked me into it," she said happily. Deciding it was time to clean up and go home she added, "Let's get this stuff put away and go home for the night. Seeing as tomorrow is the twenty-third, we'll probably be busy with last minute shoppers and such."

As the three of them got to work the bell over the door jingled and when Hermione turned to greet the customer she dropped the decorations she was holding in her hand. "Luna?!" Hermione yelled happily as she quickly walked up to her friend and gave her a hug. As Edna greeted Edward, Luna's Father, Ron walked into the shop and stopped in his tracks when he spotted Hermione.

"Great Merlin! I'd ask what you've been up to but it's quite obvious isn't it?" he asked with an expression of surprise on his face as he turned from her to Harry, a snicker making its' way into his voice. "You know, I heard some of the other guys on the team talking about you getting some girl pregnant, but I figured it was all codswallop. But now..." A sad look seemed to cross over his face as his voice dropped off.

"I'm sorry Ron," Hermione said quietly, "I asked Harry and Luna not to say anything."

"You knew?" Ron asked, turning towards his fiancé, his eyes now boring into hers.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you Ronald," Luna replied with an apologetic look and took his hand in hers, "But Hermione was having a rough time of it and I didn't want to break my promise to her."

When Ron looked confused and a little upset, Harry said, somewhat bitterly, "It's not my baby Ron..."

"The baby's father is someone I used to date at Beaubaxtons," Hermione interrupted, "Someone that is no longer in my life." Not meeting anyone's eyes, but instead on her hands that were rubbing circles over her growing belly, she said, "It's not something I'm proud of Ron, and I just didn't want anyone to know. I'm sorry."

Ron's features softened as he said, "No, I'm sorry. It's not my business if you don't want it to be...I didn't mean to bring up anything uncomfortable."

Hermione smiled at him then as Luna hugged him and Harry wrapped his arm around her and asked, "All right then?"

"Yes," she replied quietly, relishing the comfort he brought to her and letting her head rest against his shoulder.

Soon Luna, Ron, and Harry were deep in discussion about what Ron had been up to and what they would be doing for the holidays. While they had been talking Hermione had been watching Edna and Edward. They had been talking quietly to each other since the moment he walked into the shop and they both kept touching each other in such subtle ways that Hermione's breath caught. Any fool could see that they were enamored with one another. Completely unaware of the conversation her friends were having, Hermione's attention was pulled away from the couple when Luna asked, "It's tomorrow night, right Hermione?"

"What?" Hermione asked, turning her attention back to Luna.

"I asked if the dinner party you and Harry are throwing was tomorrow night?" Luna repeated as she turned to look in the direction Hermione had been staring. A warm smile graced her lips as she asked, "They look so happy when they're together, don't they?"

"They look blissfully happy," Hermione agreed, "And no, the dinner party is day after tomorrow." After a moment of contemplation, Hermione asked, "Luna, why don't you bring your Dad along to dinner? We just talked Edna into staying with us overnight on Christmas Eve...having your Dad there would ensure that she has someone her age to talk to."

With a conspiratorial grin on her face that matched Hermione's, Luna replied, "I think that is an excellent idea."

Ron leaned over toward Harry and whispered, "Don't look now mate, but I think the girls are playing matchmakers."

~*~

The next day seemed to fly by thanks to a steady stream of last minute shoppers. Harry had been in and out of the shop all day, trying to make sure he had everything ready for their dinner the following night. The shops were closing early on Christmas Eve and Harry didn't want Hermione to be stressed in any way; unfortunately that was making him more stressed out than he normally would have been.

"Did you order the roast turkey from Neville?" Hermione asked as she rang up another customer.

"Yes," replied Harry.

"Did you pick up the Christmas cake and pudding?"

"Yes."

"The Pumpkin Juice, Butterbeer, and Firewhiskey?"

"Yes."

"The mince pies?"

"Yes."

"Christmas crackers for everyone?"

"Uhhh...no," Harry said sighing, "I'll go get those now."

Hermione smiled as he placed a quick kiss on her cheek and then watched as Harry quickly walked out the door. He looked utterly exhausted, but when she had volunteered to help with the dinner Harry had flat-out said no. He hadn't let her lift a wand or finger to help clean the flat or do any of the shopping to prepare for that night. He said that she was to relax and let him do all the work.

Hermione stood there smiling as the next customer in line walked up to the counter. As she focused her attention on the person in front of her, her smile vanished immediately as she was face-to-face with her Mother.

"Hello Hermione," her Mum said flatly, "All set for the holidays?"

"Hello Mother," she replied just as flatly.

"Still acting like a spoiled child I see," her Mum said.

"Still treating me like a child I see," Hermione shot back, unable to hold back the anger she was feeling.

Looking very unhappy, her Mum started to ask, "Why must you always..."

"Mum, I don't have time to argue with you. It's been a very busy day today and I still have a lot of customers to take care of," Hermione interrupted tiredly, before her Mother could start in on another one of her speeches.

Her Mother closed her mouth and the expression on her face turned sad. "Hermione, it's Christmas...the first one without your Father...it's not right that we're not going to spend it together."

"You don't have to remind me that Dad is gone," Hermione said quietly, "and if you wouldn't have been so hateful and thrown me out, we would be spending Christmas together. Don't try to put any of the blame on me because you're spending the holidays alone...this is all your doing, not mine."

"You're right," her Mum said as tears sprang to her eyes, "I was horrible to you. It's just that...I want you to be able to do anything you want with your life...and that baby has already made you change your plans. You're a strong young woman Hermione, and I didn't want you to think that you needed a man in your life to be happy...I just went about it the wrong way."

"Yes you did," Hermione agreed without a hint of anger in her voice. Looking at her Mum for a moment, she realized how much older she looked since the last time she saw her. Unable to keep up the angry facade, Hermione's features softened as she asked, "Why don't you come over to Harry's flat Christmas morning and have breakfast with Harry, Edna, and me? We're going to open our presents and then go over to the Weasley's house for dinner later that afternoon."

"Are you living with Harry?" her Mother asked incredulously. When Hermione's eyes flashed with anger she said, "I'm sorry, that's none of my business. I would...be glad...to have breakfast with you Christmas morning."

Ignoring the fact that she had completely left Harry and Edna out of her statement, Hermione explained to her how to use the floo to get to the flat. Once she was satisfied that her Mother wouldn't end up in some other families house, they said their goodbye's and Hermione continued working for two more very busy hours; thankfully being busy was keeping her mind off of what a disaster her Mother's visit could turn out to be.

14. The Christmas Eve Dinner Party

~A/N> Well, I got the chapter done on time! :) I don't know why, but I think this is one of my favorite chapters so far. It was a bit trying to write because there are some things I've never written before (like a dinner party) but I think it came out okay and I hope you like it too! Thanks as always to poppywillow, you're the greatest friend ever!! Until next Saturday...

Christmas Eve night came quickly; after work Hermione had rushed home to help Harry prepare, which was a waste of time because he still refused to let her do anything. So she had sat at the kitchen table talking about anything and everything with him, and before she knew it, it was time for her to get ready for the dinner.

After showering and fixing her hair, Hermione stepped into the dark red dress she had bought especially for that night. It had an empire waist that tied over the zipper on the back of the dress and was made of stretchy silk chiffon; the only problem with the beautiful maternity dress was that she couldn't zip it by herself.

Hearing Harry's bedroom door opening just down the hall, Hermione opened her door just as Harry had started in her direction. When she saw what he was wearing her heart rate sped up. He had on an emerald green long-sleeved silk shirt, black dress trousers and black dress shoes. His hair was still an unruly mess, but she couldn't help but notice how his green eyes seemed to shine with an inner radiance. When he stopped and gave her his lopsided smile all thoughts of what she was going to ask him flew out of her mind.

"All ready for dinner?" he asked her, and when she didn't respond immediately he asked, "Hermione? Are you okay?"

Shaking herself and realizing that she had been staring at him, Hermione felt her cheeks grow warm as she said, "I-I'm fine, just a bit scatterbrained tonight." When he continued to smile at her but looked at her with confusion she said, "I was going to ask if you could zip me up?"

She gestured toward the back of her dress and Harry replied, "Sure." When she turned around he grabbed the zipper pull and pulled it upward. After he had it zipped completely, his hand lingered for a moment before he ran his fingertips across the bare skin on her back. The whisper of his touch caused goosebumps to raise up on her arms and she closed her eyes at the intimacy of it. She felt him sweep her hair to the side and was surprised when he placed a kiss on the bare skin of her left shoulder. She felt liquid heat spread throughout her body at the feel of his lips and she gasped.

The feel of her bare skin under his fingers and lips was driving Harry mad. He'd kept his desire in check (mostly) since she had moved in, but the way her eyes had sparkled and the way her dress clung to her ever-growing breasts made it very hard to suppress the naughty thoughts that came into his mind. Without giving it another thought, Harry spun her around, wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her as tightly to him as her swollen stomach would allow. He bent down and captured her lips in a heated kiss, allowing his desires to outweigh his common sense.

Hermione was surprised by Harry's actions, but the minute his lips covered hers all thoughts were wiped from her mind. The heat she had felt in her blood before seemed to have traveled south and gathered, causing new feelings and sensations she had never experienced before. When his tongue sought entrance, she readily opened for him and their kiss deepened. Needing a closeness that her stomach wouldn't allow, Hermione wrapped her arms more tightly around his neck, pulling him as close to her as was possible.

"Hello?" someone who sounded like Ron called from the sitting room, "Harry, where are you mate?"

Pulling apart quickly at the sound of Ron's voice, Harry and Hermione stood panting, their breath stolen by the kiss they had just shared. "I uh, I should go meet them so that they don't come looking for us."

"Right," Hermione answered breathlessly. When Harry turned to make his way to the sitting room she said quietly, "Harry wait!" When he turned back to her she lifted her hand to his lips and wiped away the remnants of her lip gloss, a smile gracing her flushed face.

"Thank you," he said, returning her smile before he made his way to greet Ron and Luna.

~*~

The minute that Harry walked into the room to greet them, Ron knew what had kept him. By the look of his red cheeks, puffy lips and glazed eyes, Ron would bet all the money in his Gringott's vault that they had just interrupted one hell of a snog session between Harry and Hermione. He had seen Harry look that way before...it was always after he and Lavender returned from the Room of Requirement.

"Hiya Harry," Ron said, unable to suppress the knowing smile that he wore.

When Harry turned from giving Luna a hug to face his best mate, he noticed the Cheshire-cat grin right away, not to mention the laughter in his eyes. "Hey Ron, Happy Christmas!"

"You too," Ron replied, "Though it already looks as if it's been a very happy one for you so far."

'By damn, he knows!' Harry thought to himself with a silent chuckle. Keeping the joke between them Harry said, "Yes, it has been pretty happy so far."

When both of them broke out in laughter Luna walked over to them and asked, "What's so funny?" When Hermione walked in, looking much the same as Harry, Luna came to the same conclusion that Ron had and said quietly, "Oh."

~*~

Harry and Hermione's embarrassment at being found out by Ron and Luna was short lived; five minutes later more guests arrived and they had to switch into gracious host mode and greet them all. Since Harry had set up a special apparition spot in the sitting room (with only invited guests knowing to arrive between the front door and the Christmas tree) he would greet them and usher them into the Dining Room, where Hermione would offer drinks and appetizers.

When Mr. and Mrs. Weasley arrived, Harry knew he was in for a lecture just by the look on Molly's face.

"Happy Christmas Harry!" said Mr. Weasley with a pat on the back.

"Happy Christmas Arthur," Harry replied, trying to ignore how strange it was to use Mr. Weasley's first name.

"Harry Dear," said Molly as she wrapped her arms around him, "How have you been? We haven't seen you in a while."

"Things have been good," Harry answered as he returned her hug.

"And Hermione? How has she been?" Molly asked, and then without waiting for an answer she said, "That business with the Prophet must have upset her...especially in her condition."

When she stood there staring at Harry, waiting for his answer, he replied, "Uh, yeah...about that...I'm sorry that I didn't say anything about it, but Hermione asked me to keep it to myself. I know you wouldn't have said anything to anyone else, it's just that..."

"It's okay Harry," Molly said, smiling, "Luna was over this morning and she explained everything to us. Although, it would have been nice if you would have gotten in touch with us after the article came out and explained everything yourselves...you know you can talk to Arthur and I about anything, right dear?"

"I know I can," Harry said sincerely. After a moment of quiet he said, "Why don't we go into the Dining Room, I believe everyone's here now so we can settle in and start the meal."

Walking into the Dining Room behind his surrogate parents, Harry caught Hermione's eye and smiled reassuringly. Hermione sighed in relief; she had been afraid that the Weasley's would be upset with her for not telling them everything. Obviously Harry had elucidated why they hadn't explained things themselves. She really liked Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and she couldn't bear the thought of them thinking badly of her, especially with the close relationship they shared with Harry.

"Would everyone please take a seat...the meal is about to begin," Harry announced, breaking into her thoughts. She walked toward the head of the table where he would sit and took the seat next to it. She watched as he walked into the kitchen to speak with Dobby, a house elf from Hogwarts that was helping them that night. As he walked back out Harry stood at the head of the table and tapped his fork lightly on the side of his crystal goblet. When the twenty or so guests quieted he said, "I want to thank everyone for being here to share dinner with us tonight. I wanted my roomate Hermione to meet my friends and those that I consider my family." Hermione smiled as he looked down at her and winked and then continued, "If you would all raise your glasses, I'd like to propose a toast." He waited for everyone to raise their glasses slightly into the air and then said, "A wise man once told me that it does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live...I know we all lost a lot of people we loved in the Second War, including that wise man, but now it's our time to live our dreams in peace and happiness. Here's to our friends and loved ones, and to all those who may not be here in the flesh but are certainly with us in spirit...to peace and love."

A chorus of "To peace and love," rang out around the room right before they all took a drink of their beverage of choice. As everyone set their goblets down Harry said, "Alright then, let's eat," with a smile on his face and a moment later a meal of roast turkey, stuffing, roast potatoes, vegetables, bread sauce, cranberry sauce and gravy appeared on their plates. A murmur arose as the guests commented on the wonderful meal and then all that could be heard was the clink and clatter of forks and knives on china as everyone ate. Harry looked around the table at the faces of those he cared about most; Ron and Luna sat to his left while Hermione, Edna and Edward sat to his right. He couldn't help but feel happy that his life was finally the way he wanted it...well, there was one exception, but that would be taken care of soon enough.

~*~

After a flaming Christmas pudding had been served for dessert everyone continued to drink and converse amongst themselves. Hermione laughed at something Ron had said and realized that her cheeks actually hurt from smiling so much. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so welcome and content...and it was all because Harry and his wonderful friends had graciously accepted her into their close knit group. A thought of how much her Father would have gotten on well with everyone came into her mind and she had to blink back tears.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked as he noticed her watery eyes.

"Nothing," she replied quietly with a smile, "I was just thinking how my Dad would have gotten on well with everyone here tonight."

"You must miss him so," Edna said as she put an arm around Hermione's shoulders and gave a comforting squeeze.

Gathering her emotions again, Hermione said, "Yes...well, should we do the Christmas Crackers now?"

"Absolutely!" Harry replied.

'He looks up to something' thought Hermione as she took in the excited look on Harry's face. As soon as everyone started pulling the Crackers apart she found out why...he had put silver necklaces in all the ladies crackers and intricate coin bags in the mens. When Hermione looked at the pendant hanging from the chain she realized that it was a phoenix with a bright blue stone for an eye. Looking over at Ron she saw that he was examining the coin bag; it was made of a brilliant blue, purple and green material and had a phoenix in flight embroidered on the front. As everyone looked up surprised toward Harry he smiled and said, "My gifts to you all! I hope everyone has a very Happy Christmas!"

As a chorus of thank you's erupted Hermione smiled at Harry and said, "The necklace is lovely Harry. It was so thoughtful of you to get gifts for everyone."

"It was the least I could do," he replied, "Everyone here has stuck by me through hard times and was always there when I needed them the most."

After that everyone seemed to realize that it was almost ten o'clock and that they needed to get back to their homes to prepare for the next day. After saying goodbye to everyone individually, Harry and Hermione watched as the last couple apparated away and wearily sank into the couch in the Sitting Room. The only guests left were Ron, Luna, Edward and Edna, who was staying the night with them. After saying their goodbye's to Ron and Luna, and witnessing a very private goodbye between Edna and Edward, Harry transfigured the sofa into a comfortable bed for Edna to sleep on. After bidding Edna goodnight, Harry walked with Hermione to her room, kissed her good night and made his way down the hall to his room. After the wonderfully tiring evening they had just had, the three of them knew that they would need all their strength to deal with Hermione's Mother in the morning.

15. The Christmas Breakfast Fiasco

~A/N> I finished it! I wasn't sure I would get this chapter done today, but I stayed up until three o'clock this morning working on it. I haven't missed a Saturday yet, and I didn't want this to be the first :) I hope I did the part with Hermione's Mum in it justice, I know a few reviewers are looking forward to that part and I worked hard on it. I also made this chapter quite a bit longer than the last, it's almost 3300 words long. I had a few reviews that asked how Edna got to Flourish and Blotts. . .I couldn't find anywhere on the HP Lexicon if muggles used the floo or not, so for the sake of my story, they do. Hermione taught her Mum how to use it in case she needed to see her. I hope that doesn't make the story less believable. A huge thank you to Poppywillow who chatted with me this morning and kept me awake while I finished the chapter, and then proofread it for me afterward. Thank you for all of the great reviews on all the previous chapters, you guys are the best!! :)

Christmas morning dawned cold with the sun shining on the fresh snow, making it sparkle like diamonds laying on the ground. Hermione woke up to the smell of kippers, bacon and eggs, something she wasn't used to waking up to. When she walked downstairs in her robe and slippers, her hair still tousled from sleep, her eyes grew wide as she walked into the sitting room and saw a giant pile of presents around the tree . . . a pile that hadn't been there the night before. Walking into the kitchen she was greeting by Edna handing her a hot cup of tea and saying, "Happy Christmas my dear!"

"Happy Christmas," Hermione replied sleepily. "You know, I wouldn't swear to it, but I think Santa visited us last night."

"Yeah, Harry Claus," Edna replied with a giant smile that reached all the way to her eyes, "I heard him sneak back down last night about an hour after we all went to bed. I don't know how he could see to walk over the giant pile of presents he was carrying."

"Huh," Hermione said in reply. Somehow the idea of Harry sneaking down the stairs with an armload of presents didn't really surprise her that much. Waking up a little bit after drinking some of the tea, she set her cup down on the table and asked, "Edna, why aren't you using magic to make breakfast?"

"To tell you the truth, I'm a little nervous about seeing your Mother this morning and doing it the old-fashioned way is helping to ease it a bit," Edna replied.

"You're not the only one," Harry mumbled sleepily as he shuffled into the room, "I actually had a nightmare last night where I went to give you a kiss and you turned into your Mum."

"Hmpf," Hermione replied grumpily while glaring at him.

Walking up to her he bent down and said, "I'm just joking luv, Happy Christmas," and then kissed her on the cheek. Doing the same to Edna, he graciously accepted the cup of coffee she handed him and plopped down onto the chair next to Hermione's. It was hard to believe that this small table set for a cozy breakfast for four had been large enough to seat over twenty people last night; the dinner party already seemed as if it had occurred days ago. After taking a few sips of the strong black liquid Harry smiled at Hermione and said, "You know, in the last month you've lost your sense of humor."

"You try carrying around a baby in your stomach all day and see how bloody jolly you are about it," she replied, still grumpy.

Without saying anything in reply, but with a smile on his face that said he was up to something, Harry got up from the table and walked into the Sitting Room. When he walked back into the Kitchen, he moved his chair closer to Hermione, sat back down, and extended his hand toward her. When she looked up from staring at her cup, she saw that he was holding out a small box wrapped in shiny red and green paper. With a questioning look, she took the box from him and said, "What's this?"

"It's a present," he replied, and when her expression turned testy he hastily added, "that will hopefully bring back your beautiful smile."

Looking unsurely at the beautifully wrapped gift, she slowly tore the paper away and opened what seemed to her to be a jewelers box. Finding a red felt hinged box under the paper, she lifted the top of the box and gasped . . . inside lay a gold ring with the image of a woman holding a child and in between them there was a small blue jewel that sparkled as she stared at it. When she looked up at Harry he said, "I remember you saying that the baby is due in March so that means that Aquamarine will be the baby's birthstone. And if he or she decides to be early or late, there's a spell you can perform to change the stone."

Hermione stared speechlessly at the beautiful ring and surprising both herself and Harry, she lunged toward him and wrapped her arms so tightly around his neck that she was cutting off his airway. Not daring to say anything in fear of her letting go, Harry wrapped his arms around her as much as he could. Harry realized that the shoulder her head rested on was becoming wet and when he pulled back so that he could look at her he saw giant tears cascading down her cheeks.

"Please don't cry," he asked quietly, "I hate to see you cry, no matter what the reason."

"I-I'm s-sorry," she sobbed, sniffling loudly, "it's just that . . . it's so beautiful . . . no one's ever given me such a thoughtful present before."

"I'm glad you like it," Harry said with unrecognizable emotion in his voice, "I wanted this Christmas to be special."

"It was already special," Hermione replied quietly, "I get to spend it with you."

Forgetting that Edna was in the room, Harry leaned down and kissed Hermione, putting every emotion he was feeling in that moment into the kiss. When he heard a sniffle, he reluctantly broke the kiss and looked up to see Edna standing near the sink with tears in her eyes, pretending that she didn't notice them. When Hermione looked behind her to see what he was looking at, she noticed Edna crying too and the two of them got up, walked up to her and wrapped her in a three-person hug. "You guys are so wonderful!" she blubbered, tightening her grip on them, "If you ever hurt each other I swear I'll curse you both!"

The three of them started laughing at Edna's jokingly-made threat and then as she got back to breakfast, Harry and Hermione went upstairs to get ready for what could be the morning from hell.

~*~

Exactly thirty minutes later, Jane Granger knocked on the door of Harry and Hermione's flat. She was trying to tamp down the anger she felt; the taxi driver had laughed at her when she said that she wanted to be let out in front of the address Hermione had given her. The vile man had made a remark about being given a false address and when she had asked what he was talking about and pointed out the flat, he had just laughed even harder. Looking around the quiet neighborhood they lived in and taking a deep calming breath, she couldn't help but remember the run down flat her and her husband had first lived in after they had married. It seemed that maybe this Harry bloke had some money if he could afford such a nice home at such a young age.

When the door opened the first thing she noticed was the look of happiness on her daughter's face. Feeling a bit of jealousy join the anger at the fact that her daughter seemed to be getting along fine without her, Jane plastered a smile onto her face and accepted Hermione's invitation to come into the flat. Handing the presents and her coat to Harry when he offered to take them, Jane looked from him to her daughter and said, "The strangest thing happened . . . the taxi driver seemed to think you gave me a false address."

A small smile broke out on Hermione's face as she replied, "That's because the flat is unplottable." When her Mother's expression turned to one of confusion Hermione explained, "There's a magical spell cast on the building so that mug- . . . non-magical people can't see it unless they know beforehand that it's there."

"Well, that's . . . different," Jane said uneasily. Wondering just how many buildings there were in existence that she didn't know about, she followed her daughter into the Kitchen and couldn't believe all the food that was spread out across the table. There were three different types of eggs, bacon, sausage, kippers, and toast, amongst other things she didn't recognize.

Taking the seat that Harry had so graciously pulled out for her, she looked toward Edna when she asked, "Mrs. Granger, would you like some juice, or tea perhaps?"

"Tea please," Jane answered, watching the other woman prepare the tea as if she herself lived there. As another pang of jealousy hit her, she looked at Hermione and asked, "Does Edna live here too?"

"No Mum," Hermione replied, "She stayed with us last night so that she wouldn't have to spend the holidays alone."

"Must be nice," Jane muttered under her breath, but it was loud enough so that everyone in the room heard her.

Clearing his throat, hoping to break the awkward silence, Harry asked, "So, Mrs. Granger, how has your Christmas been so far?"

"It could be better," she replied, and then turning to Hermione she said, "Your Aunt Millie came to visit yesterday . . . I swear, that woman hasn't changed a bit since your Father's funeral. Can you believe that she hinted that I must have done something to your Father to cause his untimely death? I mean the nerve of her . . . "

"Mum," Hermione interrupted, trying to keep a hold on her temper, "It's Christmas. Can we please not speak badly of Daddy's family and enjoy breakfast?"

Looking a bit embarrassed, Jane said, "Yes, of course, I'm sorry." After eating quietly for a few ticks, she looked at Hermione and asked, "So how have you been feeling? Is the child healthy?"

Realizing that her Mother was completely ignoring Harry and Edna, Hermione replied through gritted teeth, "The baby and I are doing great Mum, thanks to Harry and Edna. They take wonderful care of us and make sure I eat healthily, instead of snacking on all the sweet things I've been craving lately."

"Oh, you know how bad sweets are for your teeth," her Mother replied immediately, "I'd think you'd remember that after the way your Father and I raised you to stay away from them."

"Yes Mum, I know that you and Dad raised me to stay away from sweets," Hermione replied, sounding very tired all of a sudden. Sighing, she stood up slowly and said, "Excuse me, I need to use the loo."

As she made her way out of the kitchen, Harry got up too and followed her out, spearing the back of her Mother's head with an angry glare. Edna, who had stayed quiet up until this point, looked at Jane Granger and asked, "How daft can you be?"

"Pardon me?" Jane asked, shocked by the woman's angry tone of voice.

"Hermione is the most thoughtful, sweet, hardworking, wonderful girl I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Over her better judgement, she asked you to come here this morning to share breakfast with us . . . she knew you'd probably be the same spiteful woman she left behind, but she invited you anyway. And how do you repay her kindness? By acting like you wished you were anywhere but here!" Taking a deep breath, Edna stared down the surprised woman sitting next to her and added, "From what I've seen, Hermione cares for Harry very much, and he returns her feelings. She's working six days a week, even while her ankles are swollen and her back is hurting her, and she still does as much around the flat as Harry will let her. All she wanted was to be on good terms with you again in the hopes that you, she, and the baby could be a family and get along."

"How dare you speak to me like this!" Jane replied, now angry, "She is my daughter, not yours, and I don't see what business this is of yours."

"I know very well she's not my daughter, but sadly I treat her more like a daughter than you do," Edna fired back at her. When Jane didn't say anything right away, Edna said in a quieter voice, "I had a family of my own once. My husband's name was Charles, he was an Auror for twenty-five years, and we had a son named William. Charles and I were married for sixty years." At Jane's raised eyebrows she explained, "People with magical abilities live much longer than people who don't. Anyway, William followed in his Father's footsteps and one day they went to work as usual and that was the last I saw either of them alive. . .William was only thirty years old." Sniffling a bit and wiping angrily at the tears in her eyes, she said quietly, "They were killed by Death Eaters at the start of the Second War . . . I didn't even get to say a proper good-bye."

"Death Eaters? Second War? Wha- . . . " Jane started to ask, but at the look of utter despair she saw on Edna's face she said, "Never mind, I don't think I want to know. I'm sorry for your loss, but I don't see why you're telling me this."

Edna's sadness dissipated quickly as she looked at Jane with a mixture of disbelief and astonishment. "Why . . . I'm telling you this because I lost my family and there was nothing I could do about it."

"There was nothing I could do about Daniel's death either," Jane answered defensively.

Edna sat shaking her head slowly back and forth, trying to wrap her mind around how this woman, a woman that gave birth to an intelligent girl like Hermione, could be so dense. Sighing, she said, "I know there was nothing you could do about your husband's death Jane, I wasn't implying that there was. I was trying to make the point that I lost both my husband and child, but you only lost your husband. If you continue to treat Hermione like it's her fault your husband is gone, you're going to lose your child too . . . and your Grandchild."

Jane sat there staring at her and she watched as comprehension dawned in her eyes. "I don't blame . . . she wouldn't keep my Grandchild away from me . . . I didn't think she'd stay gone so long," Jane rambled, trying to comprehend everything Edna was telling her, "When I threatened Hermione with moving out, I never thought she'd actually do it. I love her, she's all I have left. When I found out she was pregnant, I was scared for her, and I admit I was disappointed too. She is so smart, and she has the ability to do whatever she puts her mind to. I just wanted the best for her . . . I wanted her to finish her schooling, go to the University of her choice, and I wanted her to be able to live her dreams . . . her Father and I both wanted that for her."

"That's what we want for her too," Harry said, startling both women, "She can still achieve all of her dreams, it's just going to take a little longer than she thought it would. With our help, love, and support she can still go to University and find a job she will love. First though, we get to enjoy that little baby she's carrying around, we get to watch it grow and hopefully be a part of his or her life."

Jane turned around to see Hermione standing very close to Harry, holding his hand, and when she saw the tears in her daughter's eyes a wave of guilt washed over her. Looking down at the floor shamefully, she said, "I'm sorry Hermione, I didn't mean to come here and ruin your Christmas, I just wanted to spend time with you."

"I know Mum," Hermione replied, her voice a little shaky, "You never mean to act the way you do, it just seems to come naturally for you." When Harry squeezed her hand and looked from her to her Mum she said, "Why don't we finish our breakfast so we can open presents? Edna, Harry and I are supposed to be at the Weasley's in four hours."

Nodding her head, Jane turned back to her plate and continued to eat. Harry noticed the defeated look on the woman's face and when he looked at Hermione he saw that she was trying to avoid looking at her Mum. When he looked at Edna she just shrugged her shoulders with a look of surrender on her face. Shaking his head sadly, he knew that if Edna was unable to get through to Jane, no one could.

~*~

After they finished eating, Harry and Edna cleared the table (without using magic so as not to stress Jane out any more than she already was) and the four of them made their way into the sitting room. "May I be Santa?" Edna asked with a big smile and twinkling eyes, trying to make things as normal as possible.

"Absolutely!" Harry answered happily. He and Hermione sat on the sofa together as Jane took the chair next to it and Edna headed toward the Christmas tree and the presents piled underneath.

As Edna sorted through the presents, putting them into four separate piles, she said, "I thought I told you two that you didn't have to get me anything?"

"Did you really think we'd listen?" Harry asked laughing.

"Of course we're going to get you presents Edna, it's Christmas," Hermione added, laughing along with Harry. Edna gave them an admonishing look as she handed them each a present, and then turned to Jane and handed her one too.

Surprised, Jane looked at the small tag on the top of the brightly wrapped gift and read aloud, "F-from Harry." She looked at Harry and said, "You really didn't have to get me anything, thank you."

"Like Hermione just said, it's Christmas," Harry replied with a smile that looked forced.

Edna handed out all the gifts, making small piles in front of everyone, and once she sat in the chair on the other side of the sofa they all started unwrapping them. They showed one other each present after it was opened, commenting on how much they liked it (whether they did or not) and thanking each other profusely.

Harry opened one of his gifts from Hermione and looked at her, his eyes wide. "Did you make this?" he asked, holding up a burgundy knit sweater with the Gryffindor house symbol on the front in gold.

"Yes," she replied, smiling brightly, "I've been working on it the past few months after I turn in for the night so you wouldn't see it."

"I love it, thank you," Harry said, and then gave her a hug. Both sat there enjoying the hug, totally oblivious to the completely opposite expressions the two other women in the room wore . . . Edna's was one of pride and happiness, Jane's one of apprehension and longing.

After all their presents were opened, they all talked politely for a little while and then Jane gathered up her presents and said, "I guess I should be going, I'm supposed to go to your Uncle Stanford's house for dinner tonight, and I'm sure you need to get ready for your dinner with the Weasley's."

"Yes, we will need to be going over there soon," Hermione replied as Harry and Edna not-so-subtly went into the Kitchen to let them talk alone. Walking up to her Mother, Hermione carefully hugged her, pulled back and said, "I've missed you Mum."

"I've missed you too," Jane quietly replied as her eyes became bright with tears. Sniffling a little she said, "I hope you enjoy the rest of the holiday."

"You too," Hermione said, unable to sort out the jumble of emotions she was experiencing, "Maybe we could meet for lunch one day soon."

"I'd like that," Jane said with a small smile, "Would you please tell Harry and Edna thank you for me? I really did enjoy being here this morning with all of you, even if I didn't do the best job of showing it."

"I will," Hermione said, and after sharing one last hug, her Mum walked out the door. After hearing the door close, Harry and Edna walked back into the Sitting Room and walked up to her, giving her a much needed hug.

"We survived!" Harry said after he hugged her.

"Yes, but your Mother almost didn't," Edna said with a very serious expression. When Harry and Hermione started laughing, a smile broke out on her face and she said, "You two are terrible, you know that?"

16. Gifts of Love

~A/N> I am so sorry that I missed last weekend, but it couldn't be helped. Here is the next chapter, I think there will be two or three more chapters left at the most, unless my imagination kicks into major overdrive for some reason. I only expected this story to be ten chapters at the most, so who knows how many more there'll be for sure :) Oh, and fair warning, I am no good at writing Fred and George. Thanks to poppywillow who was chatting with me at three this morning (my time) while I finished the chapter and then proofread it for me! And a big thank-you to everyone who has reviewed this story so far!!!

An hour or so later, Harry, Hermione and Edna stepped out of the fireplace in the Weasley's kitchen to mouth-watering smells. As everyone greeted them with hugs and many a "Happy Christmas" could be heard, Hermione had the unforgettable experience of meeting Ron's twin brothers, Fred and George.

"I believe I'll keep my eye on them," Hermione said after the two walked into the sitting room.

"Good idea," Harry replied, "They own a joke shop in Hogsmeade and they love to pull pranks."

After being introduced to the rest of the Weasley's she hadn't met yet, Hermione went into the Kitchen to see if she could be of any help. Of course the women quickly scooted her out, scolding that she should not be on her feet so much. When she walked back over to the sofa, she noticed Harry's red-tinged cheeks and asked, "What have you been talking about that's embarrassed Harry? I hope it's a story about one of his adventures at Hogwarts, those are the best."

"We were just discussing . . . " Fred started to reply, only to be interrupted by Harry.

"They were just having a go at me, that's all," he said with a smile that told Hermione he wasn't being honest.

"That's not what we were doing," George said quickly, "We were just giving Harry a hard time about all his conquests . . . "

"He was quite the ladies' man the last couple of years he attended Hogwarts," Fred finished, "We'd heard some things from Ron, but we were trying to get him to tell us the whole story, good bits and all."

"Oh," Hermione said, sorry she had asked. Feeling as uncomfortable as she looked, she just sat back in her chair and listened to the rest of the conversation, missing the apologetic looks Harry kept giving her. For the rest of the evening, Hermione was strangely quiet.

When they got home that night, both laden with leftovers from Mrs. Weasley, Harry waited for Hermione to take off her coat and then walked up to her and put his arms around her. "I'm sorry," he said, "I tried to get Fred and George off the subject, but they just kept bringing it up."

"It's okay," Hermione replied, "well, I mean, I didn't enjoy hearing about it but I know that you had a life before I met you. It's just that . . . "

"What?" Harry asked as he pulled back a little and brought his hand up to caress her cheek lightly.

His touch was heavenly on her face and as she leaned into it she said, "I know that there's something between us, something really special. But there's always this little voice in the back of my mind that tells me that you're going to find someone better suited to you soon."

"That's not going to happen," Harry replied, gazing deeply into her eyes, "I have been happier with you than I ever was with anyone else . . . actually I think I-um . . . I-wow!" Hermione looked at him with a smile as he said, "The baby just kicked me! That's the first time I've gotten to feel him or her kick."

She watched happily as Harry started to rub his hands over her stomach and talk to the baby, but a part of her was dying of curiosity. Was he just about to tell her he loved her? What if he didn't get the nerve up to tell her again? Would she have had the courage to tell him she loved him too?

"Does it hurt when the baby kicks like that?" Harry asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Not usually, but today I keep getting kicked in the same spot and I must admit I'm a bit sore," she replied, rubbing the sore spot. "It's late and I have to work early tomorrow morning so I think I'll be off to bed."

Looking a bit disappointed, Harry said, "All right then, I should get to bed too, I guess."

As the two of them walked down the hall toward their rooms, Hermione stopped in front of her door and opened it. Turning around, she looked at Harry and said, "I just want you to know Harry, I-um . . . you mean a lot to me." Raising up on her tiptoes she kissed him, loving the way his lips felt and the way his tongue deftly sought entrance, which she gave. The two kissed greedily, wanting to express physically the emotions they were unable to give voice to, and wishing that they could do so much more.

Feeling bold, Harry ran his hand up from her waist and caressed her cloth-covered breast. Hermione moaned into Harry's mouth at the intimate touch, feeling her blood catch fire once again. She pressed herself more into his hand, trying to let him know she liked what he was doing. Harry responded by rubbing his thumb back and forth across the hardened nipple that was straining against the material that covered it. Feeling almost fevered by his touch, Hermione ran her hand through his silky black hair and pulled him as close to her as she could, wishing she could melt into him completely. Every part of her body was tingling, there was a buzzing sound in her ears, and the only thought that was going through her mind at that moment was how much she wanted Harry.

Suddenly Harry pulled away from her and she made a sound of disagreement at the loss of warmth. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw Harry's hooded gaze staring back at her as his breathing was ragged and fast. "I...I don't think this is a good idea right now," he said in a deep, husky voice that made Hermione want to kiss him again.

When the fog in her mind cleared a little, she focused in on his face and asked, "Why not?"

Giving her his sexy-as-hell smile he replied, "Is it even safe for you to have sex right now? I mean, you are seven months pregnant and . . . well, truthfully, I'd be afraid of hurting the baby." At the disappointed look on her face he quickly added, "It's not that I don't want to be with you like that, because I really, really do. I just don't want to do anything to harm you or the baby . . . I would never be able to forgive myself."

Seeing the heated indecision in his eyes, she took his hand in hers and said, "You're right, I'm not sure if it would be safe or not." With a beautiful blush staining her cheeks she broke eye contact with him and said, "I have an appointment with the Healer on Monday . . . I-I'll ask her then if we can, uh . . . be intimate with each other."

Smiling at the coyness he heard in her voice, Harry squeezed her hand and said, "I don't want you to feel like you have to. I want to be with you, but I can wait until after the baby is born."

"I don't know if I can," she mumbled quietly, but not quiet enough that Harry couldn't hear and he chuckled quietly to himself. Surprising both of them, Hermione yawned loudly and covered her mouth with her hand in embarrassment.

Squeezing her hand back, Harry said, "Go get some sleep Luv and I'll see you in the morning."

Smiling at him, she said, "Goodnight Harry."

"Goodnight Hermione," he replied, and after one more heated kiss Hermione walked into her room and shut the door. Staring at the door, Harry placed his hand flat against it and whispered, "I love you."

~*~

Hermione locked the shop up after following the last customer left in the store to the door. It was the twenty-ninth of December and thanks to many after-holiday sales, the shop had been busy the past few days. Edna and Stacie had both left early, leaving her to finish the shift out by herself, and she was exhausted. With visions of a cup of tea and a hot, relaxing bath in mind, Hermione flooed to her flat.

"Surprise!" a chorus of voices shouted as she stumbled out of the fireplace in their flat. Looking around wide-eyed and trying to slow her hammering heart, Hermione spotted Edna and Luna near the front of the group and asked, "What is going on here?"

"It's your baby shower!" Luna replied, walking up to her and giving her a big hug. "Edna, Ginny and I have been planning this for a while now so that we could have it during our Christmas break. I got the idea from an American magazine my Dad had laying around his office. Basically it's a party where we shower you with presents for your baby!"

"Oh my goodness!" Hermione exclaimed as her gaze skimmed over all the familiar faces that were staring at her. Amongst the many friendly faces she noticed Ginny, Neville, Ron, Dean, Harry, Mrs. Weasley, Edna, and even Stacie was there, which explained why she and Edna had left the shop early that night. "I-I can't believe you went through all this trouble for me . . . thank you so much!"

As tears welled in her eyes at their thoughtfulness, Harry walked up to her along with quite a few others, telling her how it hadn't been any trouble at all. When she saw Ron, Dean, and Neville walking toward her she said, "I must say, I'm surprised to see the lot of you here."

"Yeah, well . . . let's just say my fiancé and sister can be very persuasive when they want to be," Ron replied with a smile.

"Not to mention what a wonderful person you are," Neville added and then blushed when Hermione hugged him.

"I hope you didn't have to work too hard tonight," Luna said as she placed her hand lightly on Hermione's stomach and rubbed lightly, a gesture that Hermione had been uncomfortable with at first but now knew was an innocent sign of affection from her dear friend.

"We were pretty busy near closing time, but it made the time go by faster," she replied.

"Time to eat," Molly called out. Once everyone had a plate full of her delicious food, it was basically a sit-where-there's-room seating arrangement. Hermione sat at the kitchen table with Harry, Edna and Luna, while Ron, Neville, Ginny and Dean found seats nearby.

Once everyone was finished eating, Edna gathered everyone in the sitting room so that Hermione could open her presents. Hermione eyed the mound of gifts set before her and felt that it was Christmas all over again. There had to be at least twenty presents, some wrapped in pink and blue pastels, while others had small baby footprints that magically walked all over the paper. "Oh my, I'm not sure where to start!" Hermione exclaimed with a huge smile.

"Open mine first!" Ginny exclaimed happily. Taking the present from her, Hermione unwrapped it and smiled at the soft mint green blanket and matching pajamas that were inside. "Since you're being stubborn about finding out if it's a girl or boy, Mum said that green or yellow would be a good color to get," Ginny said after Hermione thanked her.

"I want it to be a surprise," Hermione said, "I have two names picked out, one if it's a boy and the other if it's a girl, so I'm prepared either way."

"What are they?" Ginny asked.

"She won't tell anyone," Harry answered, "I've been begging her to tell me and she still refuses."

"That's a switch . . . Harry begging a bird for something instead of the other way around," Dean said, only to be slapped upside the head by Luna. "Ouch! What'cha do that for?"

"Because of how daft you can be sometimes," Luna replied shortly.

When Dean opened his mouth with a retort to Luna's insult, Ron interjected, "I'd let it go if I were you mate, you don't have a bloody chance in hell of winning an argument with her, trust me."

After the laughter from Ron's comment died down, Hermione got back to the pile of presents, opening one after another until there was wrapping paper scattered all about the room. A pile of brand-new baby clothes, blankets, toys, and other essentials lay where the stack of gifts stood some twenty minutes before.

"Thank you so much everyone," she said, raising her voice to be heard over the murmur of conversation. As everyone replied to her thanks, Luna walked in from the Kitchen, a giant cake floating ahead of her. Gently moving her wand, the cake landed safely on the table in front of Hermione, and Luna took a seat on the couch next to her. "Chocolate?" Hermione asked, her smile wide.

"Chocolate," Luna replied, "I wouldn't deny a pregnant woman her greatest craving."

As the cake was cut and passed around, Harry sat on the other side of Hermione and leaning close to her ear he said, "I'll give you my present for the baby later on, after everyone's gone home, okay?"

Swallowing the bite of cake she had just taken, Hermione looked at him and saw a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Okay," she replied quietly as the suspense and excitement at whatever his surprise was started to build.

After thanking everyone again and many shared hugs, Hermione said goodbye to the last guest. Turning to Luna she said, "I know it's probably a waste of breath, but is there anything I can do to help clean up?"

Walking past with a floating pile of presents, Luna replied, "No there is not. Just sit down and relax."

Sighing loudly, Hermione settled back into the sofa as best she could and rubbed her hand over a particularly sore spot on her stomach. The baby had been so active that day and the little bugger liked to kick her in the same place over and over again. As if sensing her discomfort, the baby rolled over and she laughed softly as she watched her entire stomach shift and move.

Luna sat beside her as she finished cleaning the flat and asked, "I'll be going back to Hogwarts in three days, so maybe we can get together for lunch before then?"

"That would be great," Hermione replied, "How about the day after tomorrow? You could meet me at the shop and we could go from there?"

"Sounds perfect," Luna agreed and then leaned over to hug her friend. "I hope you enjoyed tonight and that it helped out on some of the things you needed for the baby."

"It was wonderful," Hermione said, "Thank you for planning it, I loved the surprise and now I don't have so much to buy in the next two months."

"It was the least I could do," Luna replied. After helping Hermione up from the sofa, she and Luna hugged each other good-bye and with a soft 'pop', Luna was gone.

Hearing Luna leaving, Harry walked into the sitting room and asked, "Ready for my present now?"

"Yes!" Hermione said excitedly, every trace of tiredness disappearing from her face. Harry laughed at her quick reply and took her hand in his, leading her down the hall.

Stopping just past the door to Hermione's room, Harry waved his wand in front of the wall and a door appeared. "Close your eyes," he said and then waited for her to close both eyes tightly. Opening the door, Harry guided her through it and stopping in the center of the room he said, "Okay, open your eyes."

Hermione opened her eyes and gasped. In front of her was a crib with sheets that had yellow, light blue and mint green patterns. Looking around the room she saw a rocking chair, a changing table, a wooden rocking horse, and three stuffed animals, a teddy bear, owl, and lamb, arranged on a window seat that looked out into the back yard. The walls were a very pale yellow which made the room seem warm and cheery, but not too bright. There were small baby blocks adorning the walls along with pastel paintings, one of a Mother and child playing in the grass and another of a man and woman standing in front of a beautiful house in the country, the woman cradling a small baby in her arms. Staring at it, Hermione said, "This painting is beautiful."

"My parents standing in front of their house in Godric's Hollow," Harry said quietly as he walked up behind her. "It was taken when I was two weeks old and is one of the few pictures I have of the three of us. I took the picture to a local painter and he made it for me."

Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, she turned toward him and said, "Thank you so much Harry."

"You're very welcome," he replied, kissing her softly on her forehead. "I hope the colors are okay, it's the best I could do since you don't know the sex of the baby yet."

"It's perfect," she said with a smile, "I couldn't ask for anything more."

17. A New Life Begins

~A/N> I know, I'm two days late and I'm sorry. This chapter needed lots of details and I took my time so that I covered everything. I think you'll like it, it's almost four thousand words long (longest chapter so far!) and has lots of fluffy goodness :) I am going to try to make the normal update Saturday but I'm not promising. Special thanks to poppywillow (aka Willow here on Portkey) for her help and a big thank you to everyone who has read and/or reviewed so far!

The next six weeks seemed to fly by for Harry and Hermione. Since Hermione's due date was drawing near, Edna had scaled her work days down from five a week to three. When confronted by a belligerent Hermione, Edna calmly explained that she could barely reach the books on the shelves anymore due to her ever-growing stomach and her magic had been a bit wonky lately. Hermione grumpily agreed to it and made sure that those around her knew how unhappy she was about spending so much time at home with nothing to do but watch her stomach grow and her ankles swell.

To those around them, Harry seemed to be the most caring man in the world. He would come into the shop every day that Hermione worked to have lunch with her and always waited on her hand and foot. It was obvious to all around them that Harry cared for her a lot, and that she felt the same. She had gathered the courage to ask the Healer about intercourse during pregnancy, and even though Healer Murphy had said it wouldn't hurt the baby, she and Harry had agreed not to go further than snogging until after the baby was born.

On a chilly February afternoon, exactly three weeks until Hermione's due date, she and Harry decided to stay inside. Harry was sitting on the couch reading the most recent Quidditch Weekly magazine while Hermione lay comfortably on her side with her head in Harry's lap. When there was a rap on the door Harry waited for her to raise her head enough so that he could get up to answer it. Unable to see the door from her position on the sofa Hermione heard Harry open it and in a cold voice she had never heard him use before ask, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I want to see Hermione," came the reply. Hermione's blood ran cold at the sound of the voice...she knew that voice well...it was Michel. Sitting up carefully, Hermione placed her hands protectively over her stomach unconsciously and listened to see what Harry would say.

"I don't think so...you're not welcome in our house," Harry said with venom dripping from his voice. "Where do you...listen you...wait..." Hermione heard him say in broken conversation along with the sound of the two of them scuffling.

She watched as Michel fought his way into the sitting room, panting from fighting his way past a very irate Harry, who was hot on his heels. "Listen you sodding bastard," Harry said angrily, "You have no right to just barge in here like that."

"I need to speak with Hermione," Michel replied, matching the hatred in Harry's voice, "Alone, if you don't mind."

"W-What do you want?" she asked, hating that her voice broke. Taking a deep breath and gathering her courage she said, "I don't want to hear anything you have to say Michel, so please just leave."

"I don't think so," Michel replied, taking two steps closer to her, "You and I have something to discuss."

"And what would that be?" Harry asked, taking a step toward him.

"That would be none of your bloody business!" Michel replied shortly.

Fed up with the man's disrespect for their home and his threatening attitude toward Hermione, Harry charged toward Michel and pushed him into the wall. "Harry!" Hermione said, shocked by his behavior, "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to escort this piece of shit out of our house," he replied as he grabbed onto Michel's shirt and swung him around, away from the wall. Turning Michel to face the door once more, Harry put his hand on his back and started to push him toward the door.

Undeterred, Michel turned around quickly and pushed Harry away from him. Hermione watched as he started walking toward her once more, and when Harry started after him again she quickly said, "No! Harry let him talk. The sooner he's said his piece the sooner he'll leave."

Straightening up his shirt, which Harry had messed up when he had grabbed it, Michel glared as he walked by the other man and sat down next to Hermione. With a falsely sweet smile on his face Michel looked at Hermione's bulging stomach and then up to her face. "You're quite big, aren't you?" he asked maliciously.

"Of course I'm big you prat, I'm carrying a baby," Hermione replied with venom in her voice and her eyes narrowed to slits, "Now why are you here?"

"I'm here for the same reason as before," he replied, "If you want me to leave you and the baby alone you'll have to pay me to sign away my parental rights." When he saw the look of anger and disbelief on her face he continued, "Of course if you don't want to do that then I can petition the courts for custody...I'm sure they wouldn't approve of you living out of wedlock with the great Harry Potter and you don't make enough to support a child...there's no doubt in my mind that I could easily get sole custody of the baby."

Hermione gasped, unable to believe that Michel would go that far, as Harry said, "You bastard," and moved toward him with the purpose of inflicting bodily harm.

Hermione stood up as quickly as her body would let her and put a hand on Harry's chest to stop him. "He's not worth you getting in trouble over Harry," she said quietly while giving him a pleading look to calm down, "Please just let him talk so we can get him out of here...hopefully for good this time."

Seeing the worried and pleading look in her eyes, Harry took a deep breath and said, "Alright, but if he continues to be an arse I will throw him out."

Sure that she could trust Harry to reign in his temper, Hermione sat back down and glared at Michel. "And what is it that you expect me to pay you to give up your rights?"

"Ten thousand galleons," Michel replied and Hermione felt her anger flare to very dangerous levels. She couldn't believe that she had actually considered spending the rest of her life with this piece of slime.

"You're barmy!" Hermione exclaimed, her voice rising, "You should have thought of the consequences when you decided to put your willy where it didn't belong."

"I beg your pardon?" Michel asked, outraged, "If I recall correctly, you were a willing participant that night in the common room."

"Then you remember wrong," Hermione replied heatedly, "You took advantage of me that night...I had just lost my Father and I came to you for comfort. Instead of making me feel better you plunged right in with no consideration for me and hurt me badly. It was my first time and you were rough and vulgar...I'll never forgive you for that."

"Whatever," Michel said, waving his hand toward her in a dismissive way, "Either pay up or lose the kid...the decision is yours."

"I wouldn't give you a knut, let alone ten thousand galleons," Hermione replied, her voice full of hatred, "Now get out of our house and leave us alone."

"Our house?" Michel said spitefully, "Oh, that's rich. He certainly has you fooled."

"What do you mean by that?" Hermione asked angrily.

"I mean that if you think he's going to be happy stuck with you and a kid that's not his, you're wrong," Michel replied hatefully, "He's 'the-git-who-defeated-you-know-who', he can shag any woman he wants and you think he's going to stay with you?"

"That's it!" Harry exclaimed. He made his way toward Michel and picked him up by the shirt once again. Opening the door, Harry shoved him outside and when Michel opened his mouth to speak he cut him off by saying, "I don't want to hear whatever it is you think you have to say...come near Hermione again and I swear I'll kill you!"

Harry walked back into the flat and slammed the door shut behind him. He went to the sofa and sat next to Hermione, putting his arm around her protectively. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know," Hermione answered.

"Hermione," Harry said, taking her hands in his and looking straight into her eyes, "You know that he just said that to upset you, right? I told you before, it's you I want to be with, no one else. You believe me, don't you?"

"I remember what you said and I know he's just a hateful little troll, but when he said that...I just...I'm going to go lie down for a little while, I need to calm down a bit," she replied and Harry hated the doubt he heard in her voice.

"Okay," Harry said, worried by Hermione's stand-offish behavior. He watched as she walked into her room and wished there was something he could do to make her feel better. He knew she was thinking about what Michel said and wondering if Harry would leave her for some other girl after she had the baby. There was no way he would, but she obviously didn't believe that.

As he sat there fuming over Michel's visit Hermione suddenly yelled, "Harry!"

Harry ran as fast as he could down the corridor, spurned on by the fear he had heard in Hermione's voice, and when he opened the door to her room he saw her standing in the middle of the room shaking. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I think my water's broken," she replied, looking down toward the floor.

When he looked down he saw a puddle of clear liquid on the floor around her feet and said, "oh shit."

~*~

"Hee hee hoo, hee hee hoo" Hermione panted as another contraction came on. Harry looked at her with an expression full of fear and concern. She had been making some of the most horrendous sounds since her water broke and if she squeezed his hand much harder he was sure she was going to break it.

Once they had flooed to St. Mungo's, Healer Murphy met them and then escorted them to a private room. Harry had practically been shoved out of the room by the nurse but when he heard Hermione yell, "Harry!" he ran back in and shoved his way to her bedside.

"What's wrong Luv?" he asked, looking down into her teary eyes and sweat covered face.

"Please stay with me," she asked, "Please don't leave me alone."

"I'm not going anywhere," he assured her as he shot the nurse a murderous look.

"Hermione, you're already dilated to two centemeters which is pretty quick for a first baby," Healer Murphy explained, "Even though you're not due for three weeks I'm afraid you'll be having your baby today." When he saw the worried look on her face he said, "Even though you're early, the baby should be just fine. Try not to worry and rest whenever you can, you have to dilate to ten before you can start pushing."

"Would it be okay if I stay with her?" Harry asked him.

"That is up to Hermione Mr. Potter," the Healer answered. When Hermione nodded in assent he said, "It'll be your job to keep her as calm and relaxed as possible Mr. Potter. She's opted not to take any pain relieving potions for now, but if she changes her mind just let me or her nurse know."

"Alright," Harry replied. When Healer Murphy left Harry turned to Hermione and asked, "Is there anything I can do?"

"N-No," Hermione answered as another contraction slammed through her body. Harry grabbed her hand and smoothed her hair back from her face as she concentrated on doing the breathing techniques she learned from birthing classes. Once the pain passed she looked at him and asked, "Would you please floo Hogwarts and let Luna know I'm in labour? She said that Headmistress McGonagall gave her permission to be here when I went into labour."

"Sure," Harry said, "Will you be okay by yourself while I run down to the floo?"

"Yeah," she replied, "Oh, and let Edna know too...and please hurry."

Kissing her on the forehead, Harry made his way into the corridor and down to the floo to contact Luna and Edna. Ten minutes later Harry walked back into Hermione's room with two very worried women following him.

"You're not due for three more weeks," Luna said, "What's going on? Harry mentioned something happened to cause you to go into labour early?"

As soon as her latest contraction subsided Hermione looked at her and replied, "Michel happened. He showed up at our flat making threats and being just horrible."

"What?!" Edna exclaimed, "What in Merlin's name was he doing at your flat?"

"Long story," Hermione answered, "One I'd rather not talk about right now."

"Right, sorry," Edna apologized, "Do you need anything Dear?"

"Just you, Luna, and Harry to stay with me," Hermione replied and then started panting again as yet another contraction started. When it was over she looked from Harry to Luna to Edna and whispered, "I'm scared."

"Don't be," Luna said, "Healer Murphy is one of the best prenatal Healers around and I know he's going to take great care of you."

"Luna's right Luv," Harry said while taking her hand in his, "You and the baby are going to be just fine."

"We would never let anything happen to you," Edna added affectionately.

Hermione laboured for the next ten hours and she finally decided to take something to ease the pain of her contractions so that she could try to sleep. She was already exhausted and she still had to push the baby out, which could take two or more hours. Harry rubbed her head, smoothing her hair away from her face until she fell asleep and when he looked at Luna he found her asleep in a chair next to the bed. Edna had gone to contact Mrs. Weasley so that she could let their friends know that Hermione was having the baby and would be back shortly. Summoning another chair from across the room, he placed it right next to the bed and lay his head on the mattress while still holding Hermione's hand, falling asleep almost instantly.

Three hours later Harry and Luna were awakened by Hermione, who was yelling that the baby was coming. As Luna ran to get the Healer Harry asked her, "Are you sure you want me here while you're giving birth? I mean, not that I'll be looking, but I'm liable to see parts of you I haven't seen yet and I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

"Harry, I don't care what you see, and I don't want you to leave. I love you and I want you to be here-ahhhh!!!" Due to a major contraction overwhelming Hermione, Harry was unable to dwell on the fact that she had just professed her love for him and he was unable to tell her that he loved her in return.

What felt like ten minutes later, but was in reality a minute, Luna ran back into the room with Healer Murphy and a nurse right behind her. When Healer Murphy checked her he said, "Hermione, I can already see the head, so it should only take a few more pushes and you can meet your son or daughter."

In a flurry of motion and orders to push, Hermione put all of her energy into bringing her baby into the world. With Luna holding one hand and Harry holding the other (Edna opted to wait in the corridor with Mrs. Weasley) she pushed four times total, trying to ignore the massive pain ripping through her privates, when Healer Murphy said, "The baby's out." After a quick peek he placed the baby on Hermione's stomach and with a big smile said, "It's a boy!"

Letting go of Luna and Harry's hands she held onto the baby and looked at him in awe. The nurse took him, stating that she needed to weigh him and clean him up, and promised to bring him right back. Crying, Luna leaned down and hugged Hermione, telling her what a great job she did, and then said she would go give the Weasley's and Edna the news.

Harry leaned down and kissed Hermione lightly on the lips and said, "You did a wonderful job Hermione."

"Thanks," she replied tiredly. She looked over to where the nurse was weighing the baby and said, "I can't believe he's here." When she was finished the nurse brought him over and placed him gently in Hermione's arms. Grabbing the chart she wrote something down and said, "He weighs eight pounds and is nineteen inches long. Do you have a name for him yet?"

"Daniel James Granger," Hermione replied.

When Harry heard his name he looked at her surprised and asked, "Daniel James?"

"I hope you don't mind that I used your Father's name as his middle name," she replied, "When you were telling me about your parents I really liked the name James, and I knew if it was a boy I was going to name him after my Father. The two just sound so nice together."

"I don't mind at all," Harry replied, his eyes bright with tears as he stared at the small bundle in her arms.

Hermione stared at Daniel, overwhelmed with the love she felt for him and amazed that she was holding her son. She was relieved to see that he had a head full of brown hair and that his features didn't seem to favor either her or Michel yet. When the door opened she and Harry looked up to see Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna walking in.

The girls all fawned over Daniel as Ron and Neville walked up to Harry. Ron patted him on the back and said with a smile, "Luna said you stayed for the entire thing, how was it?"

"Bloody fantastic!" Harry replied with a huge smile, causing Ron to laugh, "I don't see how she did it, I probably would have passed out from pain."

"That's why we don't give birth," Neville replied teasingly.

Harry watched as everyone took turns holding Daniel. Soon it was time for Ron to return to his Quidditch team, Neville had to get back to his cafe, and Luna and Ginny had to go back to Hogwarts. Hermione promised Mrs. Weasley that she would floo if she needed any help or someone to watch Daniel, and once they were gone she said, "I love them, I really do, but it's nice to have some peace and quiet."

Harry smiled at her and after a moment of silence he asked, "Can I hold him?"

"Of course," Hermione replied happily and then carefully handed the baby to him.

Harry sat holding Daniel and he couldn't believe how tiny he felt in his arms. He marveled at the feelings he felt; a mixture of disbelief, love, and protectiveness washed over him as he watched Daniel sleeping in his arms. He also felt a bit sad as he remembered that this beautiful little boy wasn't his son, but someone else's. When Harry remembered how horribly Michel had spoken of his own child, this precious, innocent little boy, he wanted to go hunt him down and kill the wanker.

"Harry?" he heard Hermione ask, and when he looked up at her she said, "You had the strangest look on your face, what are you thinking?"

"Just how amazing you are for bringing this little guy into the world," he lied. He wasn't about to risk upsetting Hermione by bringing up Michel now, after everything she had just been through. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," she replied with drooping eyes.

"Why don't you try to get some sleep and I'll watch Daniel," he offered.

"Are you sure?" she asked, "He might need his nappy changed or he might need to be fed."

"I'll get the nurse to help me with the nappy," he replied with a smile, "I'll need to learn anyway so that I can do it at home and if he needs to eat I'll wake you, okay?"

"Okay," she said as Harry carefully sat down next to her on the bed, Daniel sleeping in his arms. Thinking of how there would probably never be another time as perfect as this, Harry gazed into Hermione's eyes and said, "Hermione, I just wanted you to know that I...I love you."

Hermione's eyes opened wide and when she stared back at him she could see his love for her shining in his eyes. As tears flooded her eyes a huge smile broke out on her face as she said, "Oh Harry, I love you too!"

As she sat up carefully he took his free arm and gently hugged her to him, marvelling at how perfect everything seemed at that moment. Letting her go he said, "Now try to get some rest."

Wiping the tears from her eyes and feeling happier than she ever thought she could, Hermione nodded and snuggled down underneath the covers. Harry bent down and kissed her, pouring all of his feelings into the kiss, and then watched as Hermione gently placed a kiss on Daniel's forehead.

Hermione fell asleep right away, exhausted by labour and the stress of the day. Harry carried Daniel over to the small portable bassinet that had been placed in the room and lay him down carefully. He stood watching the baby sleep and he knew at that moment that, even though Daniel wasn't biologically his, if Hermione allowed it he would still be a Father to him.

~*~

While Hermione had been giving birth to his son, Michel had made his way to The Leaky Cauldron where he had rented a room for the night. Mumbling angrily under his breath he brought the bottle of Firewhiskey he had bought up to his lips and took a huge swig of the bitter drink. Thinking of all the ways he was going to make that slag Hermione and Potter pay, Michel lay down on the bed and continued to drink. When someone knocked on the door he cursed quite loudly and yelled, "What do you want?"

When no one answered he swore some more and drunkenly got up from the bed. Staggering to the door he yanked it open and said, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Avada Kedavra!" the person said, pointing their wand at Michel's chest. With his mouth open in surprise Michel's body fell to the floor with a thud, his lifeless eyes staring up at the ceiling above as the person at the door quietly stole away into the night unseen.

~A/N2> Hermione's Mother will make an appearance in the next chapter along with the person who killed Michel :)

18. Whodunit?

~A/N> I'm sorry that this update is three weeks late. Life lately has not been kind and I haven't been able to work on my writing much. I have back problems that got so bad that I could only sit in front of my computer for fifteen minutes at a time because it hurt so much. Add that to the fact that I got stuck on the last part of this chapter and voila! you have the reason for it's lateness. So now there is only one more chapter to go and I will hopefully be able to get it finished by next weekend. I have to give a big thank-you to Poppywillow and ChaserKT for helping me out with this chapter. If it weren't for them I wouldn't be able to post this today :) Thank you to everyone that has read and/or reviewed, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

"Does anybody know who the hell this bloke is?" Auror Seamus Finnegan asked loudly, irratated at the lack of cooperation he was getting from his fellow Auror's.

A young rookie by the name of Mackenzie scurried up to him and said, "Not yet sir, Reynolds is downstairs talking to Tom to see if he knows anything about him."

Seamus sighed and said, "As soon as you find out anything new let me know right away."

"Yes Sir," Mackenzie answered timidly.

As Mackenzie scurried away Seamus looked down at the covered body of the unknown wizard and sighed again. It was days like this when he wondered why he had ever wanted to become an Auror after his schooling at Hogwarts. Deep down he knew why...he remembered the hell that Harry Potter, his classmate, went through during their years at school...he had wanted to become an Auror so that he could help prevent anyone else from living such a traumatic life.

Seamus carefully made his way around the room, watching as different spells were cast to find evidence, and wondered how it was that no one knew who this wizard was. "Auror Finnegan," yelled Mackenzie as he came skidding to a halt in front of him, "Sir, I know who he is."

When Mackenzie just stood there wide-eyed and panting Seamus's temper snapped as he shouted, "AND?"

"H-His name is Michel Dubois," Mackenzie answered, "He checked in two nights ago by himself. Tom said that he was downstairs drinking the night he checked in and became pretty drunk and loud. He started bragging about some bird he had shagged and gotten pregnant...he said that he was going to visit her the next day. He also said that he would be meeting with Harry Potter."

"What the hell...what does Harry have to do with Michel Dubois and a pregnant girl?" Seamus asked aloud to no one in particular.

"I believe he was talking about Hermione Granger sir, Mr. Dubois' ex-girlfriend and Mr. Potter's current girlfriend," another Auror named Riley answered, "I saw a picture of Mr. Potter with her in the Daily Prophet. It seems that they have been a couple for a while now."

Seamus closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers, trying to fight off an impending headache. "So this guy shows up here, brags that he's going to visit Harry and Ms. Granger and ends up dead two days later?" Seamus surmised with confusion evident in his voice, "I think it's time I go pay a visit to Harry and Ms. Granger and see just how involved in all of this they are."

"Ms. Granger is a patient at St. Mungo's Sir," Riley said, "It seems that she had her baby last night and that Mr. Potter was there with her."

"Hopefully there are a lot of witnesses that saw him there," Seamus replied, "Harry's been through enough hell in the past, he deserves some happiness. Mackenzie, come with me."

"Y-Yes Sir," Mackenzie replied, barely containing his excitement. Seamus watched him hurry ahead and thought of what a long day it was going to be.

"Auror Finnegan!" someone yelled as he raced down the corridor toward Seamus, "Sir, wait!"

When he got closer Seamus realized it was Auror McKay, one of the top Aurors in his division, and as he saw the look on his face Seamus asked, "What is it McKay?"

Panting from the exertion of running up two flights of stairs, McKay took a deep breath and said, "Sir, there's someone downstairs that needs to speak with you now...you're not going to believe who it is!"

~*~

Harry walked toward Hermione's room slowly, trying to decide if he should go through with his plan or not. He had watched Hermione and Daniel sleeping early that morning when an idea had formed in his mind that he just couldn't ignore. Now, as Mrs. Granger trailed after him down the corridor, he wondered just how the hell he could have thought this was a good thing to do. When they stopped in front of her door, Harry turned to Hermione's Mum and said, "Um, I should probably go in and speak with her first, if that's okay with you?"

"Sure," Mrs. Granger replied. Harry watched as she turned and sat in one of the chairs against the wall. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and was greeted by a beaming Hermione.

"How are you and Daniel doing?" he asked as he walked up to her and kissed her hello. When he looked down to where Daniel was cradled in her arms Harry realized that Hermione was, in fact, breast feeding him and suddenly his face felt very warm, along with other parts of his body.

"We're doing great," she replied and watched bemused as Harry finally tore his eyes away from her exposed breast and met her gaze. Trying not to laugh she asked, "Harry, are you blushing?"

"I-uh...I was just surprised that you were b-feeding Daniel," he replied, "I'll just leave you alone so you can um-finish."

"Does this make you uncomfortable?" she asked.

"Yes, but not in the way you're thinking," he replied quietly, but not quiet enough so that she didn't hear.

When he heard her giggle he gave her a questioning look and she said, "Harry, you just watched me give birth not too long ago and saw parts of me that no one else has."

"You mean no one other than Michel," Harry replied, practically spitting out the other man's name.

"No, I mean no one," she said, "Michel didn't take the time to look, he just did what he did and nothing else."

"You know, I hate that bloke more and more every time we talk about him," Harry growled, thinking what a git Michel was not to treasure Hermione while he was with her. When Daniel gave a content sigh Harry's eyes were once again drawn to where he fed at Hermione's breast and Harry said, "I should...um, I'll just go out...bloody hell, am I a tosser for being jealous of a baby?"

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, shocked at his remark but feeling too tired and euphoric to scold him for it.

"I'm sorry," he said as he sat in the chair next to her bed. Clearing his mind of all unclean thoughts, he watched as Daniel ate and asked, "All joking aside, I think that is the most amazing thing I have ever seen."

"What is?" she asked, wondering what he was referring to.

"You feeding Daniel," Harry replied, "It just seems so intimate, it's something only the two of you can share." Lost in thought Harry said, "I wonder if my Mum and I ever shared moments like that."

Hermione reached out and caressed his cheek with her hand and said, "I'm so sorry that you grew up not knowing your parents."

"Me too," he replied, turning his head and placing a kiss on the palm of her hand.

"And I'm sure the two of you did have moments like this. Which I'm sure she treasured."

"Thank you." Figuring this was as good a time as any to bring it up, Harry asked, "So are you going to let your Mother know that you've had Daniel?"

"Yes," she replied, "I've been thinking it over and no matter how horrid she's been to you and me, Daniel is still her Grandson. It would be unfair to keep him away from her just because she and I don't get along."

"You're wonderful," Harry said, smiling at her proudly, "and I hope you'll forgive me because your Mum is in the corridor, hoping you'll let her in to visit."

"She's here?" Hermione asked in disbelief, her eye's going from Harry to the door. "Did you go get her?"

"When I went home to shower and change I found her at the door," Harry replied, "She said she really wanted to talk to you and I told her that you were here."

Hermione looked down at Daniel, who was asleep in her arms, and realized just how much she wanted to see her Mom. "I'd like to talk to her," she said and Harry smiled, relieved that she wasn't angry with him. She watched as he walked to the door, opened it and motioned to someone outside.

Jane Granger walked into the room and Hermione couldn't believe how much older she looked. Motioning toward the chair Harry said, "Why don't you take a seat, I'm going to go find something to drink. Would either of you like something?"

"No thank-you," Jane replied quietly.

"Would you bring me some water please Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Sure," he replied, "I'll be back in a tick."

After he walked out of the room Hermione looked at her Mum and asked, "How have you been Mother?"

"I've been okay," she replied, "How about you and the baby? Did everything go okay...no labor complications?"

"Other than being three weeks early, we're both fine," Hermione answered happily. Smiling at her Mum she asked, "Would you like to hold Daniel?"

Tears sprang to her eyes as Jane asked, "You named him Daniel? After your Father?"

"Yes," Hermione replied as tears formed in her eyes too, "Dad was the greatest man I've ever known and I wanted my son to have his name. His full name is Daniel James Granger."

"Such a strong name," Jane said with a hint of pride in her voice, "I would love to hold him."

Hermione carefully handed him to her Mum and watched as she held him with tears running down her cheeks. "He's beautiful," she said and then looked at Hermione proudly. "I went by your flat today because I wanted to talk to you. I've been thinking of how horrid our relationship has become and I realized that I've treated you terribly."

"It's not all your fault Mum," Hermione said, "I wasn't the easiest to get along with either."

Sniffling and watching every movement Daniel made, Jane carefully ran her fingers over the little bit of hair on his head and said, "I was just awful to you after your Father died. You were pregnant and I should have been there for you instead of push you away...if your Father were still here he would be ashamed of my behavior. I just...there are times that I miss him so much that it hurts to breathe."

Hermione stared at her Mum, amazed at the things she was saying. Her Mother had never opened up to her like this before...it was always her Father that had spoken his feelings and told the truth about everything, no matter what. He had taught her that bottling up your feelings would only make things worse in the end and that she needed to experience life to the fullest. Her Mum was always so prim and proper, preaching about manners and proper etiquette, and this sudden change was refreshing and welcomed.

"I'm sorry for the way I acted toward you," Hermione said, "I'm sure I didn't help things with the belligerent way I acted after Daddy died. I was just so angry that he was taken from us and at the way Michel had treated me...I guess I channeled all that anger to you and it was unfair of me to do so."

"I'm sorry too," Jane said, smiling up at her, "You know, I can't get over how much Daniel looks like you did as a baby."

"I'm thankful for that," Hermione replied, "Especially since Michel is the reason I went into labor early."

"What?" her Mum asked angrily, "What did he do?"

Hermione related the story of what had happened at their flat the day before, marveling at how great it felt to talk to her Mum again, and said, "Every time the door opens I'm afraid that it might be him."

"I don't think you have to worry about that," Jane said, "I don't think Harry would let him anywhere near you."

"No, he probably wouldn't," Hermione replied with a wistful smile. "He is such a wonderful person, Mum. I am so lucky to have him in my life."

"I'd say he feels the same about you," Jane said as she handed Daniel back to her. "I should get home and let you rest, but if it's okay with you I'd like to visit you again soon?"

"That would be great," Hermione said as her Mum kissed her on the cheek and then placed a kiss on Daniel's forehead.

"Take care of yourself," Jane said and with a wave and a smile, she walked out of the room.

Looking down at Daniel lovingly Hermione said, "Things are finally getting back to the way they should be and hopefully better."

~*~

Harry had returned a short while later with Hermione's water and was surprised to find her Mum gone. Hermione told him about their conversation and he smiled at the look of relaxed contentment that she wore, thinking that maybe their life would be quietly normal.

That afternoon Ron, Luna, Ginny, Neville, Edna and Mrs. Weasley showed up to visit them. The healer had decided to keep Hermione and Daniel an extra day so when everyone had heard the news they had all gathered in her room with arms full of food and gifts. As the guys talked about Ron's Quidditch team and Neville's Cafe Hermione was telling the girls about her conversation with her Mum. Mrs. Weasley and Edna were close to tears, thankful that the rift between Mother and Daughter had been mended, while Luna and Ginny were happily playing with Daniel.

When there was a knock at the door Harry walked over to open it. "Seamus?" he asked surprised as he saw who it was on the other side.

"Hi Harry," Seamus replied, "I'm sorry to bother you, with the new arrival and all, but I really need to speak with you and Ms. Granger."

Looking confused, Harry motioned for Seamus and the man with him to come into the room. Seeing all of his school mates in the room along with Mrs. Weasley and another woman Seamus didn't know, he greeted them all and said, "Hello. I'm Auror Seamus Finnegan and this is my partner, Auror Ryan Mackenzie. We need to ask Harry and Ms. Granger some questions."

"About what?" Hermione asked as she bounced Daniel lightly, trying to calm him as he started to fuss.

"Er...well, maybe we should talk in private?" Seamus asked politely as his eyes scanned over every person in the room.

When her friends started toward the door Hermione said, "It's okay if they stay, we're all friends here."

"Alright," Seamus replied, "I'm afraid I have some bad news Ms. Granger...Michel Dubois was found dead in his room at The Leaky Cauldron this morning."

"What?!" Hermione exclaimed, shocked by the news, "Michel's dead?"

"He was found by Tom, the innkeeper, early this morning," Seamus explained, "Could you please tell me the last time you saw Mr. Dubois?"

"You don't think Hermione had anything to do with it, do you?" Harry asked, his hard stare boring into Seamus.

"We're just trying to sort things out right now Harry, I'm just here to ask some routine questions." Seamus replied, meeting his stare.

"I saw Michel two days ago," Hermione answered, breaking the tension between the two men, "He came to our flat to...talk about our baby."

Harry flinched at her reference to Michel as Daniel's Father but kept his mouth shut. He didn't want to blurt anything out that could draw any suspicion onto her...or him for that matter.

"And you are living with Mr. Potter, correct?" Seamus asked, ignoring the angry look Harry was giving him.

"That's right," Hermione replied, "I've lived there for about six months now."

"And what was it that Michel had come to discuss with you?" Seamus questioned, "You say it was about your child...was he seeking custody?"

"No," Harry answered for her, "The bloody git was trying to get money out of her in exchange for him giving up his parental rights to Daniel."

"Daniel is the baby I presume?" Auror Mackenzie asked, his quick-note quill writing away furiously.

"Yes," Harry replied, "When he started getting belligerent I threw him out on his arse and told him to never come back again."

"According to your neighbors, who we just finished interviewing, you also threatened to kill him," Seamus said, watching Harry's reaction closely.

"Well, er...yeah, I guess I said something to that effect," Harry said, "I didn't mean it though. I was angry at how he was trying to manipulate Hermione."

"Did you leave Ms. Granger's room at all last night, maybe you went home to shower or change?" Seamus asked.

"No, I went home this morning to do that," Harry replied, "Do you consider me a suspect?"

"Well, I..." Seamus started, only to be interrupted by Ron who asked, "You can't possibly think that Harry would kill someone? Other than V-Voldemort, of course."

"I..." Seamus started again but was interrupted by Edna who said, "Harry didn't kill anyone...I-I did it."

"What?" came a chorus of astonished voices.

"And who are you?" Seamus asked.

"I'm Edna, Hermione's boss and good friend," Edna replied, her voice shaking a bit.

"Edna didn't do it, I did," Luna said quickly, causing everyone to turn and stare at her incredulously.

"No, Luna didn't do it, I did," Ron admitted hastily, "Gave the wanker just what he deserved."

"And he deserved to die because...?" Seamus asked, waiting for Ron to answer, a little amused at his friends reactions and confused by the sudden onslaught of confessions.

"I-I...because," Ron stuttered nervously, "He was mean and rude to Hermione and Harry."

"Ronald!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, astonished at her son's confession, "What are you saying?"

"It wasn't Ron," Neville said loudly, interrupting the chaos, "I did it. I saw how upset Hermione got every time she just mentioned his name, so I...I went to his room last night and well...you know the rest."

"Neville!" Ginny cried, "You can't possibly be serious?"

"QUIET!" Seamus yelled, shocking everyone in the room into silence and startling Daniel. Taking a deep breath to calm himself he said, "I know for a fact that no one in this room killed Michel Dubois."

"What?"

"But you said..."

"Then who...?"

"I just asked Ms. Granger when she saw him last," Seamus explained, "I never accused her or Harry of killing him, did I? You lot are barmy, you know that? Bloody hell! I hope if I ever commit a crime you're all there to take the blame for me." When Mackenzie started to snicker next to him he glared at the young Auror, causing the smile to melt quickly off his face. "Now, we have the murderer at the Ministry already, and she's confessed to everything."

"She?" Hermione asked expectantly.

"Her name is Michelle Deumel," Seamus replied, "I believe she went to school with you and Mr. Dubois?" When Hermione shook her head in agreement he continued to explain, "It seems that you were not the only one that Mr. Dubois was playing games with. He and Ms. Deumel had a relationship and when she became pregnant he 'flew the coop', I guess you could say."

"Oh," Hermione said, stunned by the information.

"He had visited her the day before he checked into The Leady Cauldron and from what she's told us, he tried to extort money from her in exchange for his parental rights," Seamus said.

"Sounds familiar," Harry said under his breath and then made his way to the side of Hermione's bed. Taking her hand in his, he asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she replied not looking Harry in the eye, not wanting him to know how hurt by this she was. "I just can't believe that he did these things. That's not the Michel I knew."

"From what we could gather from a list we found in his room, Mr. Dubois was blackmailing two other women also," Seamus said with a sympathetic look on his face. "I'm sorry to put a damper on the party, but I felt you should know."

"Thank you Auror Finnegan," Hermione said with a sad smile.

"Yeah, thanks for letting us know Seamus, and sorry about this lot," Harry said, motioning toward Ron and the rest of their friends, "They were just being overprotective, as usual."

"I understand," Seamus said, walking up to Harry and holding out his hand for Harry to shake. "It seems you're going to have your hands full in the coming weeks, eh?"

Harry looked at Hermione and as his gaze traveled to Daniel he said, "I sure hope so."

19. The Realization of Dreams

~A/N> Finally, I got this chapter done! I know I said this would be the last, but it's not. There will be one short chapter after this one and then the story will be finished. Thank you for all the lovely reviews and thanks to poppywillow for helping me get through this chapter when it felt like my brain was going to explode :) I hope y'all enjoy all the romantic fluffiness!!! Oh, and I've started on a new story called "Nanny Wanted", I have two chapters written so be on the lookout for it. I may post it soon. And I will be finishing "The Razors Edge" and "The Light Within", I have been working on new chapters for all my stories a little every night. It all depends on my mindset, which one I work on. Enjoy and please review!

Four days after Daniel was born, Hermione was able to return to her and Harry's flat. Now, four weeks later, Hermione felt like the three of them were a family, and her heart was so full it felt ready to burst.

"Hermione?" Harry called, walking into the nursery. He stopped as he noticed Hermione feeding Daniel and a small smile spread across his face as he asked, "Does he ever fill up? Every time I see you you're feeding him."

"That's because you always seem to seek me out at feeding times," Hermione replied with a smile, "I think you do it on purpose so that you can sneak a peek at my goodies."

"You're goodies?" Harry repeated, laughing. Taking a calming breath he said, "No, there was another reason I've hunted you down. Would you like to go out tonight, just you and me? Molly has offered to watch Daniel, she even said she would love to keep him overnight if you think you'd like a little break."

Hermione looked at him thoughtfully, wondering if she was ready to spend a night away from Daniel. She had plenty of milk stored in the refrigerator, so that wasn't a problem, and Molly had raised seven children of her own so she knew that he would be well looked after...but could she get by without holding him in her arms for just one night?

Realizing that she and Harry had not been able to spend much time alone together, Hermione pushed away the nervous thoughts of being away from Daniel and said, "That sounds lovely."

"Great," Harry replied, relieved, "I'll just go floo Molly back and let her know."

Hermione watched him leave and looking down at the baby she said, "Molly will take wonderful care of you and I know you'll be alright...it's me I'm worried about."

~*~

Two hours later, Harry was in Ron's flat, talking to Luna through his fireplace. "Are you sure she's going to like this?" Harry asked nervously.

"She'll love it Harry, so just relax and enjoy your night together," Luna replied with a smile.

"And you're sure that you and Ron are okay with everything?" he asked, watching her expectantly.

"I told you that I'm fine with it," Luna answered, "And as long as I'm okay with it, Ron is too."

"Alright then," Harry said, "I'd best be going so that I can make sure everything is perfect."

"Good luck Harry," Luna said, "And make sure you floo or owl me tomorrow to let me know how it goes, alright?"

"I will," he said, and with a quick goodbye, he pulled his head out of the flames and heaved a sigh of relief.

"You alright Mate?" Ron asked with a concerned look, "You look a bit green."

"I'll be fine once tonight is over," Harry replied. "Now, you're sure you're okay with everything? If you're not, I want to know."

"It's fine by me," Ron answered, "The bigger, the better."

"Thanks Mate," Harry said, slapping him on the shoulder in a manly version of a hug, "Wish me luck."

"Good luck, even though I know you won't need it," Ron replied with a reassuring smile, "Go enjoy your alone time with Hermione, you'll be fine."

"Right," Harry said, feeling extremely nervous now, "I guess I should get going, I don't want to be late."

"Mum should be at your flat by now," Ron said, glancing at the clock on the wall.

Throwing a handfull of floo powder into the fireplace, Harry said, "I'll owl you tomorrow to let you know how everything goes."

Ron nodded his head in acknowledgment and watched as Harry called out "Potter Residence", stepped into the flames and spun off to his flat. "Like there's any chance she'll say no," he muttered to himself while returning back to the sitting room to listen to a football match on the wireless.

~*~

After practically dragging Hermione out into the sitting room so that they could leave, Harry said a quick goodbye to Molly and grabbed on to Hermione's hand, pulling her out the front door. When Harry summoned his broom Hermione looked at him and asked, "We're flying?"

"Yeah," Harry replied, "It's the only way to get to where we're going."

"Have I ever told you that I don't like to fly?" she asked with obvious fear in her eyes.

Harry turned her so that she was looking directly at him and taking her hands in his he asked, "Do you trust me?"

Without a moment's hesitation she said, "Yes."

"I promise to go slow and I will be very, very careful," Harry assured her.

"Alright," she said, obviously nervous.

Harry mounted the broom and waited as she climed on behind him. When she wrapped her arms tightly around his stomach he guided the broom off the ground and into the night sky, going slowly as he promised.

Hermione laid her head on his back, closing her eyes as they ascended and didn't open them until Harry said, "Isn't the night sky beautiful?"

"I don't know, I can't see it," she replied.

She heard and felt the deep rumble of his laughter and then he said, "Open your eyes, you're missing out."

When she opened her eyes she gasped at the view before her. They were flying just above the housetops and above them there were wispy clouds and twinkling stars. The moon was shining bright enough for her to see almost everything below them and she said, "Oh my goodness, that is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen."

After that, the two were quiet as Hermione watched the scenery and Harry concentrated on not scaring her. Finally he saw his destination and started their descent, causing Hermione to tighten her hold on him again.

When they both had their feet firmly on the ground they dismounted the broom and Hermione looked around at their surroundings. "Where are we?" she asked.

"We are by the Lake at Hogwarts," Harry replied. Grabbing her hand he led her a few steps up a small hill and when they reached the top he heard Hermione's sharp intake of breath as she spotted the Castle.

"It's beautiful," she whispered reverently, her eyes taking in every turret, "But are we supposed to be here? I mean, won't we get in trouble?"

"No," he replied, "Headmistress McGonagall gave me permission to bring you here tonight."

Hermione smiled at him, surprised at the planning he had put into their night together. He tugged lightly on her hand and the two started walking toward one of the trees by the lake. When they got closer Hermione could see the initials HP carved into it's trunk and when she turned toward Harry he said, "I spent a lot of time sitting underneath this tree while I was here. It was somewhere I could be alone, without the watchful eyes of the other Professors and students, and I could think about things or just relax...if only for a little while."

Hermione leaned over and kissed him, hating the sad expression he wore as he spoke of his schooling. He responded by pulling her flush against him and wrapping his arms around her tightly while deepening the kiss. When they separated they were both slightly out of breath and both wore smiles on their faces, feeling happier than they ever had before.

Harry led her over to where a small picnic had been laid out on a blanket on the ground and waited for her to carefully sit down before sitting himself. As he pulled the food out of the picnic hamper, Hermione had opened a bottle of wine and poured them two glasses. "It'll be nice to enjoy a glass of wine," she said, handing him one of the glasses, "Since Molly has Daniel I don't have to worry about him getting any of the alcohol through my milk tonight."

Harry smiled at her and raising his glass slightly he said, "Here's to you, Hermione, the most beautiful, intelligent, loving person I've ever had the pleasure of knowing."

Hermione raised her glass, carefully touching it to his and said, "And here's to you Harry, the most handsome, loving, caring person I've ever had the pleasure of knowing and I love you so much."

"I love you too," he replied, staring into her eyes as he took a drink of the amber liquid.

The two of them proceeded to eat the delicious food that Dobby, one of Hogwarts house elves, had prepared for them and exchanged small talk about anything and nothing. Hermione was having such a good time that thankfully, even though he was always in the back of her mind, she didn't obsess on whether Daniel was doing okay or not without her.

After finishing dessert, Harry put everything away and then situated himself so that he was sitting in front of Hermione, face to face. When Hermione noticed the strange look on his face she asked, "Harry? Are you okay? You look ill."

Clearing his throat and taking a calming breath, Harry replied, "I'm fine. I, um...well, you know how much I love and care about you, right?"

"Of course I do," Hermione answered, giving him a bewildered look, "There's not many blokes out there that would have stood by a woman that was pregnant by another man, but you did, and you made sure that I was well taken care of. Not to mention that you treat Daniel as if he were your own son."

"I think of him as my own," Harry said, "He's a part of you, and he is so amazing. I watch him grow, in one way or another, every day and it doesn't matter how bad of a day I've had, the minute he's in my arms it's like all my problems never existed. He's special to me, and so are you."

Hermione smiled at him, her eyes shining with tears, wondering how she had been so lucky to find Harry. An image flashed through her mind and she gave a small laugh which made Harry ask, "What's so funny?'

"I was just remembering the day we met," she replied, "I remember how I thought you just wanted to bed me so you could add another notch to your bedpost."

"You did?" he said, "I just remember how I was struck by your beauty and I knew that I wanted to get to know you better. Bedding you would have been an added bonus."

Hermione laughed again, feeling giddy and relaxed. She couldn't believe how far the two of them had come since that first day...but here they were, having a picnic by the lake as a couple, and she had never been happier in her life.

"Hermione?" Harry asked, pulling her from her thoughts, "Wow, you were a million miles away just then."

"Sorry," she replied, "I was just thinking how extremely happy I am."

"I'm happy too," Harry agreed, "Which is why I brought you here tonight." Harry took one of her hands in both of his and gazing into her eyes he said, "Hermione, since the first day I met you, you brought something into my life that I had never experienced before. I was lost, just kind of existing from day to day, wondering what purpose my life had since I had defeated Voldemort. When I saw you, somehow I knew that you were someone I needed to know, and that you might be able to fill the void I had felt for quite a while. Now, I have everything that I had ever wished or hoped for, and it's all because of you." Harry swallowed nervously as he reached into the pocket of his trousers and pulled out the ring he had purchased just the day before. Holding her hand with his left hand and presenting the ring to her in his right Harry asked, "Hermione, will you marry me?"

Hermione looked at him with tears gently falling down her cheeks and a wide smile on her face as she said, "Of course I will."

Harry let out the breath he had been holding as a huge smile spread across his face. With a shaky hand, he let go of her right hand and grabbed a hold of her left, clumsily sliding the ring onto the appropriate finger.

He watched as she lifted her hand closer to her face and said, "Oh Harry, it's such a beautiful ring."

"It doesn't compare to you," he said, "You are the most beautiful woman in the world."

"I think you're biased," Hermione teased, and then growing serious she said, "I can't believe we're engaged. It just seems so surreal and wonderful...I'm almost afraid that I'm dreaming and that I'll wake up and realize that this night never happened."

"You're not dreaming," Harry said, "We're going to be married...soon if you agree to what I've been thinking about."

"How soon?" Hermione asked expectantly as a delicious thrill of excitement ran through her as she realized she could be Mrs. Harry Potter in just a short amount of time. The fact that Harry wanted to marry her so quickly only added to the excitement and happiness she felt.

"Erm, well...I spoke to Luna and Ron the other day, when I told them what I was planning, and they both said that they would love for their wedding day to be our wedding day as well," Harry replied, the hint of nervousness back in his voice as he watched Hermione's reaction.

"But that's...that's only three months away!" she exclaimed, trying to grasp everything that Harry was telling her.

"Actually, Luna suggested we have it on my birthday," he replied, "She said that way I'll have something wonderfully happy to celebrate on a day that I've grown up loathing since my Aunt and Uncle refused to acknowledge it."

Hermione looked at him sadly and said, "Luna is so wise...that sounds like a wonderful idea."

"Really?" Harry asked, his expression brightening after the thoughts of his unhappy childhood, "So then we'll have a double wedding with Ron and Luna on July 31st."

"July 31st," Hermione repeated, still unable to grasp the reality that was being presented to her. Not only was she going to be Mrs. Harry Potter, but it was going to happen in just three short months.

"I love you," Harry said, gazing into her eyes and causing a shiver to run through her with his intensity.

"I love you too," she replied, bringing her hand up to caress his cheek.

Harry leaned in and kissed her tenderly, putting all of his love for her into it, not really knowing how else to show her just how much love he felt for her. When they seperated Harry asked, "Are you ready to go home?"

"That sounds lovely," Hermione replied.

The two of them gathered everything together and Harry placed them under their tree so that Dobby could come to get it once they were gone. As they mounted Harry's broom Hermione said, "Thank you so much for the lovely evening Harry, it's one that I'll never forget."

"I'll never forget it either," he replied, lifting them gently into the air and making his way toward home, 'and hopefully it's not over yet,' he thought to himself as a small smile formed on his face.

~*~

Once they were back at the flat, Harry walked in and smiled at the sight that greeted them. Before taking Daniel back to the Burrow, Molly had placed candles throughout the house, setting a romantic mood. On the Kitchen table sat a beautiful vase of roses that Harry had ordered beforehand along with a bottle of champagne and two crystal flutes that he requested be delivered magically along with the roses.

Hermione gasped as she walked in and saw the candles, her heart beating just a bit faster as she realized that her special night with Harry was far from being over. Harry walked over to her and took hold of her hand, leading her into the Kitchen where she saw a beautiful bouquet of roses and a bottle of champagne with two glasses sitting on the table.

Hermione looked at Harry, the flickering candlelight reflecting in his eyes as he gazed back at her, and her breath caught as she saw the intense look of desire there. When he stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her she felt a wave of hot desire surge through her veins and realized that tonight they would finally give in to the primal connection they had felt for so long. When he started to slowly walk forward, guiding her carefully out of the Kitchen and through the Sitting Room, her legs almost buckled as she thought of what they were about to do.

When they finally reached the door to his room, he broke their kiss only long enough to open it and then guided her to his bed where he gently pushed her down onto it. He followed her, laying his body on top of hers and reclaiming her lips in a passionate kiss. Without really realizing what they were doing thanks to the passion induced haze they were both floating in, they were both divested of their clothing and lay skin-to-skin, marveling at the feelings the simple act invoked in them.

Harry proceeded to explore every part of her, marvelling in the silkiness of her skin and the beauty of her body. Feeling drunk off of the sweetness of her skin and the love that he felt for her, Harry positioned himself above her and guided himself toward the opening that would join their souls forever. Gently pushing into her a little at a time, for fear of hurting her, he clenched his teeth as the feel of her surrounding him almost drove him over the edge. He searched her face, looking for any sign that she may be in pain, and was met with the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. Her eyes were hooded and slightly glazed over, her cheeks were tinged pink, and her lips were swollen from the kisses they shared. Harry knew in that instant that his heart and soul would never belong to anyone else.

Hermione lay under him, overwhelmed by the feelings of love and desire that she felt for Harry and awed at their magnitude. He was being so patient and tender that it brought tears to her eyes.

When he was completely sheathed inside her, Harry closed his eyes and concentrated on not losing control. Breathing deeply, he opened his eyes and focused on her face once again, and noticing the tears in her eyes he asked, "Am I hurting you?"

"No, no, you feel wonderful," she replied quietly, "I just...I never dreamed it could be like this and it's just...overwhelming. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he said, "I know what you mean."

Harry bent down and kissed her while pulling out of her at the same time. This time, he pushed in just a little faster and heard Hermione gasp and then moan, alleviating his fear that he had pushed too hard. Taking his cues from Hermione, Harry sped up his pace, plunging deeper and deeper into her.

She felt a tight knot form in the pit of her stomach and when it became almost too much to bear she felt herself shatter into a million pieces while the most delicious sensation washed over her, stealing her breath away.

Harry felt her release and unable to hold back any longer he plunged into her once more, his own release slamming into him like a freight train. Spent and out of breath, he collapsed onto Hermione, hoping that his weight wouldn't be too much for her.

As the final waves of Hermione's orgasm washed over her, she felt Harry put all of his body weight on her as he collapsed and she wrapped her arms around him, feeling as if her body was lighter than air. Almost afraid to break the silence, lest it break the aura of ecstacy that enveloped the two of them, Hermione whispered, "Harry, that was amazing."

Harry withdrew from her and rolled onto his side so that he was still able to look at her and mumbled sleepily, "Mmm-hmm. Are you okay?"

"Never better," she replied with a huge grin, which Harry returned right before claiming her lips once again.

20. The Wedding Of The Century

~A/N> I know, I know, another update! Don't faint! It may be a different story, but I've posted three chapters in two days. That's a lot for me :) I'm sorry this last chapter has taken so long, I've been so busy lately with my Podcast (which is for Harry/Hermione shippers, btw) and taking care of my family...life passes too quickly it seems. Anyway, this is a very fluffy, romantic chapter that I hope makes you feel all warm and fuzzy after you read it. And if you haven't read it yet, please check out my new story, "Nanny Wanted". It's a fun little story that I'm writing to keep my sanity while I try to work out "The Light Within". It's gotten a great reception so far, the first chapter alone recieved 40 reviews which totally blew me away! Anyway, here's the last chapter of "Dreams Can Come True", I hope you like it and I have to say, I'm sad to see this story go. It's one of my favorites :)

The morning of July 31st dawned sunny, warm, and beautiful, much to the delight of the four people who were sharing the special day. Hermione and Luna had spent the night at the Burrow with Mrs. Weasley, making sure all the last minute details of the wedding were in place. Harry and Ron had stayed at Harry's flat, having a party that was put together by their two best men, Neville and Dean. Dean had wanted to go all out, but thankfully Neville's calm demeanor had won out in the end and it had been a fun, yet uneventful, party.

Daniel had stayed with Hermione that night and Harry had caught himself missing him. Harry and Daniel had formed a bond that was almost better than a Father/Son bond, and Harry hoped that it would continue to grow stronger as Daniel got older. For all Daniel knew, Harry was his Father and Harry was more than happy to play the part. The past three months had been the best of his life, and he could only hope that the future would hold the same happiness for the three of them.

Harry had discussed the possibility of adopting Daniel with Hermione the day after he proposed. Since Michel was dead, Harry wanted to be his Father in every sense of the word, which meant that Daniel would take the name 'Potter' as his own, if Hermione agreed to it. He didn't think she would say no, and of course she happily agreed.

The Burrow was set up for the double wedding...there was a small stage erected on the lawn that had a huge archway of flowers as a backdrop and a red carpet that ran down the middle of all the chairs that had been situated there also. The ceremony was set to begin at sundown, so there were fairy lights strung up all around the area, as well as candles floating overhead. There had been a leak to the press that the famous Harry Potter and Miss Hermione Granger would be having a double wedding with the famous Quidditch Keeper Ron Weasley, who was to wed Luna Lovegood, the daughter of the man who owned the Quibbler. There were so many reporters trying to sneak onto the grounds to get the much sought-after wedding pictures that they had to add extra wards to keep them out, as well as having everyone drink a potion to make sure there was no one using Polyjuice Potion to gain entry. The only reporter and photographer that was allowed in, besides the official wedding photographer of course, were the ones from Mr. Lovegood's paper.

Hermione and Luna sat upstairs in Ginny's bedroom, which had been magically expanded to accommodate them all, fussing over their hair and dresses. Luna had asked Ginny to be her Maid of Honour and Hermione had asked Edna to be hers. With Dean and Neville as the Best Men, there would only be the eight of them on the stage along with the current Minister of Magic, who would be performing the ceremony.

"It's time."

Hermione and Luna both looked toward the doorway where the voice came from and saw Mrs. Weasley standing there, beaming at the two of them. "You both look lovely, just lovely." Tears suddenly making her eyes bright, Mrs. Weasley dabbed at them with a handkerchief and said, "Everyone is waiting for you downstairs."

Luna gathered up the short train on her feather light, soft yellow wedding dress and made her way downstairs where her Father waited to walk her down the isle. Hermione took a deep, calming breath and took one step toward the door, only to stop as she noticed that it was no longer Mrs. Weasley standing there, but her Mother. "Hi Mum," she said with a nervous smile.

"Don't you look beautiful?" Jane asked, looking her daughter over head-to-toe, "I'm so proud that you decided to wear my old wedding dress...your Father loved that dress."

When Hermione saw the tears slip from her Mother's eyes, she closed the distance between them and hugged her tightly. In the months following Daniel's birth, she and her Mum had talked out their differences, becoming closer than they had been before. Jane had even watched Daniel a few times so that she and Harry were able to have a relaxing night out once in a while...it took a lot of patience to raise a child, and even though she and Harry were learning as they went, sometimes it all became so overwhelming. Thankfully Jane and Molly had been there to help, whether it be two in the afternoon or four in the morning, when Daniel had woken up distressed, and she had been unable to comfort him. It was hard being a Mum, and now that Hermione realized that, she had a bit more respect for her Mum. And her Mum had admitted that she had only wanted the best for her daughter, and she could see that Harry was the man to make her blissfully happy and take care of Hermione and Daniel too.

"I wish your Father could be here to walk you down the aisle," Jane said, and then sighed. "He used to talk about it all the time, how a part of him couldn't wait for the day, but then a part of him would be sad to lose his little girl."

Jane was crying harder now, and Hermione had tears running down her cheeks as she listened to the wistfulness in her Mother's voice. It still hurt to think of her Dad, but she had the comfort of knowing she would always carrying a part of him in her heart. "But he is here, Mum. I know he's watching over you and I. As long as we keep his memory alive in our hearts, he'll always be with us."

Both women were crying now, holding onto each other as they remembered their dear Husband and Father. "Hermione?" Mrs. Weasley asked quietly from the doorway, "Is everything alright dear?"

Hermione sniffled, said, "We're both fine," and graciously accepted the clean white handkerchief that Molly held out to her. After handing one to Jane also she said, "Ginny has Daniel downstairs, all dressed and ready to go...we're ready whenever you are."

As she and her Mum wiped the tears from their eyes, reassuring each other that their make-up looked just fine, the three of them made their way downstairs to join the rest of the wedding party.

~*~

"I don't know who's more nervous, you or I," Ron stated, running his damp palms down the front of his trousers to dry them.

Harry resisted the urge to nervously comb his hand through his somewhat-tamed hair and replied, "I'd say it's probably a tie Ron. I don't think I felt this nervous when I was fighting Voldemort."

"I hear you mate," Ron agreed.

The two of them stood at the base of the short staircase, which consisted of three stairs, waiting for their wives-to-be to join them. From there they would walk up onto the stage together to stand in front of Minister of Magic Thomas . Sturgemore, who stood patiently in front of the flower arch, waiting for the ceremony to begin. He would wait there forever for it to begin if it meant he was able to brag that he was the one to marry two of the most famous couples known to the wizarding world.

"Alright there Harry?" Neville asked, coming down the stairs toward him. He and Dean were checking to make sure everything was ready to go, and then they would go into the house to join their Maid-of-Honour partners.

"A bit nervous, but otherwise fine," Harry answered.

"I'm off to join Edna inside then," Neville said with a smile and then made his way to the front door. Thankfully, when Harry had told him that he would be paired with the much-older witch, he hadn't minded one bit. He had been so honoured that Harry had asked him, he said he would have walked with Dolores Umbridge if he had to. That had given Harry pause for a second, until Neville started to laugh at the look on his face and he was soon laughing with him.

"Good luck mate," Dean said, slugging Ron in the shoulder as he made his way past him to follow Neville, "You too Harry."

"Thanks," Harry replied with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Thanks," Ron had muttered and then asked nervously, "You've got Luna's ring, right?"

"Aye, I do," Dean said as he stopped and turned back to him with a reassuring smile, "No worries, everything's taken care of and we're ready to go."

Ron gave a stiff nod and Dean continued on his way to the house, laughing at the look of sheer terror on his friend's face when he gave one last glance before going inside to join Ginny.

As Harry and Ron both fixed their robes for the millionth time, both of them wearing the finest black dress robes money could buy, they snapped their heads in the direction of the door as they heard it open.

The first pair to emerge from the Burrow were Arthur and Molly, who immediately made their way to their seats in the front row, Molly giving her son a watery smile. Neville and Edna came out next, followed closely by Dean and Ginny. The two couples walked slowly down the aisle, smiling at the people in the crowd they recognized, and Harry and Ron stepped to the side so that they could make their way to their places on the stage. When he heard Ron's sharp intake of breath, Harry turned his gaze from their friends on the stage to the door where Ron was staring intently. There he saw Luna walking out with a firm hold on her Father's arm.

"Bloody hell," Ron whispered in awe as he took in how beautiful she looked. He stared at her as her Father walked her down the aisle, barely aware that he offered his arm for her to take. "Ronald, are you okay?" Luna asked, as she noticed the strange way he was staring at her.

"You're beautiful," he replied, causing a slight pink tinge to color her cheeks. It wasn't very often that he complimented her so in awe and with such sincerity.

"You look very handsome," she said with a loving smile as they carefully made their way up the stairs, going to stand in front of where Ginny and Dean stood.

Harry, left by himself at the bottom of the stairs, stared anxiously at the door as he waited for Hermione to come out. Adjusting the tie he wore underneath his robe, he smiled as he saw the door open slowly, and watched as Jane and Hermione emerged from inside. Hermione held her Mother's hand and cradled Daniel in her other arm; Harry watched as his soon-to-be family made their way toward him, Hermione wearing the most gorgeous smile he had ever seen. Her eyes seemed to radiate happiness and he could feel his heart constricting with all the love he felt for her and Daniel.

His eyes followed them up the aisle and he waited as Hermione gently handed Daniel to her Mum. Before offering his arm to her, Harry leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Daniel's head, causing more than a few of the women in the audience to tear up and smile at the loving gesture. Straightening, he held his arm out for Hermione to take and asked, "Ready to become Mrs. Harry Potter?"

"More than you could ever know," she replied with the same gorgeous smile. The two of them made their way up the stairs to take their place in front of Edna and Neville and next to Ron and Luna. A sudden hush fell over the crowd as the Minister of Magic cast a sonorus on himself and began by saying, "We are gathered here today to join these two loving couples in marriage..."

~*~

Thirty minutes later the two couples were proclaimed Man and Wife. Minister Sturgemore introduced to the applauding crowd Mr. and Mrs. Harry Potter and Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Weasley as both couples stood hand in hand, happily beaming at the crowd of family and friends.

As they made their way down the aisle and into the Burrow to wait as the outside was magically transformed into their reception by Arthur and Molly, Jane Granger walked up with Daniel and gave Harry a one-armed hug, saying, "Welcome to the family Harry."

"Thank you Mrs. Granger," Harry replied, happily returning the hug and then gently taking Daniel from her.

The two couples stood talking to one another as Jane went outside to help with whatever she could and then made their reappearance after Molly had came in to tell them everything was ready.

After receiving congratualtions and hugs from everyone, Mr. and Mrs. Potter, along with Mr. and Mrs. Ron Weasley, were called out onto the magically conjured dance floor to share their first dance together as man and wife. Harry gave Daniel to Molly and after gliding around the floor together as the music played, everyone else was invited out to join them and the dance floor filled quickly. Harry held Hermione as close as he could, marveling at the fact that she was now his wife, and both looked up from the others gaze as Minister Sturgemore walked up to them and cheerfully said, "Ah, the happy couple...well, one of the happy couples I should say."

"Hello Minister," Harry greeted as Hermione smiled and greeted him also.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have something that I think will make this wonderful day even more special," the Minister said as he handed over a roll of parchment to Harry.

Accepting the roll with a quizzical look, Harry carefully broke the seal and unrolled it. As he read over the quickly-blurring words on the parchment, he blinked his eyes quickly, trying to keep the tears that had flooded his eyes at bay. "Hermione," he asked quietly, "When did you do this?"

"The day after you proposed," Hermione replied as her own eyes filled with tears and a smile formed on her lips, "You had your heart set on legally being Daniel's Father, and you already were in every other sense of the word, so I visited the Ministry of Magic that night and started the process. The fact that it's legal today is such a wonderful surprise."

"It's the best wedding present we could have gotten," Harry said, and then turning to the Minister he said, "Thank you so much for giving this to us personally Sir, it means so much to us."

"Pish-posh my boy, with all you've done for the wizarding and muggle worlds, it was the least that could be done to show you our appreciation." With a smile he said, "I'll leave you to it then, it was an honour to be asked to perform the ceremony today, and I wish you all the best."

"Thank you Sir," both Harry and Hermione replied as they watched him walk away and then Harry looked at Hermione with all the love he felt for her shining in his eyes. "You're wonderful, d'you know that? Being Daniel's Father is a dream come true, and our family is truly complete now."

"Well..." Hermione said with a knowing smile, "You never know, it could get better."

"I can't imagine how," Harry replied, looking at her curiously.

Leaning close to his ear Hermione whispered, "What if I told you that you were going to be a Father...again?"

Harry quickly pulled back so that he could look her in the eye and with happy disbelief he whispered, "You're pregnant?"

"Yes," she answered happily and then flung her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

Hugging her back, Harry closed his eyes and silently thanked whatever Gods were smiling down on him that day. As he felt his eyes get moist with tears yet again, he leaned back so that he could look at her and said, "Gods Hermione, I never thought I would ever be this happy...it seems that since the day I met you, you've made every hope I've ever had, every wish I've ever made come true and I love you so much."

"I love you too Harry," she replied as tears slipped gently from her eyes, "After my Father died, I felt as if I would never be truly happy again, and then you came practically barging into my life. You've made all my dreams come true Harry, and that's more than I had ever thought possible."

The two of them danced the rest of the night together, holding onto one another, thinking only of the family they had become that day and the new member that would be joining them in just six short months...they were oblivious to everyone around them, wrapped lovingly in each other, both of them knowing that the days, months, and years ahead would be filled with happiness and love...something neither one of them had ever dreamed could happen.

~A/N2> If you didn't figure it out yet, I left it a little up in the air so that I can maybe write a short follow up to it sometime in the future :) I hope you enjoyed it!!!