A/N: Thanks you guys for reviewing- we enjoyed reading them all! You guys who took the time to leave your comments seriously rock and we appreciate it so much!
To answer a few questions- this story is plenty long. As of today June 14th, it's 699 pages and will be getting MUCH longer. We have plenty of fluff and angst headed your way- this is basically all the stuff that continues to enter our minds that we want to write out- or rather, what the characters want us to write ;)
Also, this situation with the Malfoys is just a segment- it doesn't run through the whole story. It will jump to later years in latter parts of the fic. And please don't hate Natalie you guys- she's not a villain, and she'll be as victimised as H/Hr by the Malfoys.
As always, please let us know what you think of the chapter! See you all Saturday!
*** *** ***
Julie watched in amusement as her mother hurried about the nursery packing things up for Saffron. She could tell her mother was not looking forward to being away from Saffron and Julie had spent most of the past hour convincing Hermione that it would be okay and that Saffron and Ethan would be okay staying with she and Nick.
"She likes for you to sing to her just before you put her down," Hermione said throwing some nappies into the bag. "And she likes that music box playing in the background too..."
I know," Julie said smiling at her mother. "You told me that three times already."
"I'm sorry," Hermione stopped and took a breath. "I just really appreciate this Julie."
"It's no problem," Julie said going over to the crib and looking down at her sleeping sister. "I'm dying to have her all to myself. And Nick is planning a boy's night for Ethan. We wouldn't have offered if we didn't want to do it."
"It'll be nice to have some downtime with your father," Hermione commented, handing her daughter the bag with all Saffron's things. "And Greta was also thrilled to have a night off. She's been a Godsend Jules."
"I know," Julie said. "And if Nick and I ever have children, she's ours."
"Only if Ethan will give her up," Hermione joked.
"He has no say in the matter," Julie said laughing. "So, what exactly did you have planned for this evening?"
Hermione grinned. "You don't really want me to get into detail here do you?"
Julie winced. "No, probably not. I'll just think in my innocent little head that you and Dad are going to have a nice meal and watch old movies or something mundane like that."
"That's exactly what we'll do," Hermione teased. "Ohhh there she goes," she sighed as Saffron opened her eyes and began to wail. "Come here baby," she picked her up and tried to soothe her.
For once Saffron seemed to be willing to cooperate and she rested her tiny head on Hermione's chest. A tear fell down Hermione's cheek and Julie patted her mother's shoulder.
"Mum," she said softly. "It's only one night. She's going to be okay. I promise."
"I just always hated being separated from any of you," Hermione said, sniffing. "This will be the first night I've spent away from her since she was born!"
"I know," Julie said smiling sympathetically at her mother. "But it's been two months. You and Dad are going around looking like the living dead. You both need this. You said so yourself..."
"I know," Hermione wiped her eyes with her free hand and headed over to the changing table to dress her baby girl. "You should have seen me the first night I had to spend away from you. I was a right mess."
"You were?" Julie asked.
"I was on a research trip," Hermione nodded. "And Anna was there with me, and she kept teasing me because I kept looking at your picture and crying." she laughed a little. "She got to be the same way with Lizzy when she was born."
"Dad had it all under control though, right?" Julie asked.
"Oh yes he was fine," Hermione nodded. "I just missed you so much is all. You were such a good baby Jules."
Julie smiled as Ethan came in to join them. He was carrying his own duffle bag.
"Julie?" Ethan asked setting his bag down. "I know I've asked you this before, but you aren't lying to me right? Maddie isn't going to be there."
Julie laughed. "Are you that scared of her Ethan?" she teased.
Ethan nodded. "She's completely mental, Julie."
"He does have a right to be concerned," Hermione said with a laugh. The last time Ethan had stayed with his sister and Nick, Maddie had been a surprise guest.
"Give me a break, Ethan," Julie said rolling her eyes. "Ron and Luna had an emergency and she had nowhere else to go. I didn't do it on purpose."
Ethan made a face. "If she'd stop going around and saying that we're going to get married I'd be FINE," he grumbled.
"I promise Maddie won't be there tonight," Julie said. "Unless, of course, they have another emergency. But I doubt that'll happen."
"Good," Ethan said. "Nick said we were going to eat nothing but rubbish and play video games..."
"I beg your pardon?" Hermione asked raising an eyebrow at her son.
"I mean, have something like a salad," Ethan corrected, grinning impishly at his mother.
"Yeah right," Hermione said. "Promise me that you will brush your teeth before you get to bed. And don't eat so much that you make yourself sick, Ethan James."
"I won't," Ethan promised, giving his mother a hug. "And if you and Dad don't want to pick us up until later tomorrow that's okay. I'll be having a lot of fun with Nick."
Julie mussed her little brother's hair. "With the way mum's carrying on, you'll be lucky if she doesn't come in the middle of the night to take you back home."
Hermione reluctantly passed a yawning Saffron over to Julie. "Just... be careful and you know you can floo us if anything goes wrong and we'll be there in two seconds and--"
"We'll be fine," Ethan and Julie said together.
Hermione gave them all hugs and kissed Saffron on the forehead. "You have fun and behave yourself," she told Ethan.
"How can you have fun if you behave yourself?" Ethan asked as he walked out of the nursery carrying his bag.
Julie laughed. "They are both going to be fine. You just enjoy your mundane night of dinner and old movies with dad. That's an order, Minister."
Hermione laughed. "All right, now go before I change my mind and keep her here," she nodded towards Saffron as Julie placed her in a carrier.
After a nearly heart wrenching goodbye with her baby daughter, Hermione set about getting ready for her romantic evening with Harry. Despite her apprehension at being separated from Saffron and Ethan, she couldn't help thinking that this was just what she and Harry needed.
Her lasagne was almost finished in the oven, as she came back down in some sexy lingerie with a robe over it. She lit the candles that she'd put on the table and set out their nicest dishes.
As she turned on some soft music, she caught sight of the clock on the wall. Harry should be home any minute, she thought excitedly.
But Harry was still at the office, going over some last minute paperwork with Natalie.
"So," Natalie asked as they finished up. "How did I rate on my very first day?"
"You did good," Harry replied in a neutral tone. "You kept your cool, you didn't get overexcited like I've seen some new recruits do, and from what I saw, you tend to think before you act."
Natalie beamed at him, grateful for the praise.
"I guess I'm not that bad, then?"
"Not at all," Harry smiled back at her. "And I should apologise for how I was when you first got assigned to me. Everything's just been catching up to me since Saffy was born. If you ask my wife, she'll tell you I was the same way when I met her."
"So you must have mellowed out some for her to fall in love with you?" Natalie asked teasingly. "She married you after all...gave you three children..."
"Aye that's right," Harry grinned. "The first time we officially met she told me she couldn't even remember her name."
"I can't imagine the Minister for Magic being like that," Natalie said truthfully. "She just seems so...so in control all the time."
"She really is," Harry mused, rubbing his unshaven jaw. "But sometimes she can lose her head and have fun. We just have to be careful because the media blows everything out of proportion. Hermione and I used to go out dancing before we got married, before she got into the position she's in, and hardly anyone would bother us. Now we can't even go out for a bite to eat half the time without being photographed."
"You miss doing stuff like that, don't you?" Natalie asked him.
"Sure I do," Harry said. "But at the same time, I'm pretty satisfied with my life now. I've got three kids and an amazing wife that I wouldn't give up for the world."
"Your eyes light up when you talk about them," Natalie told him. She looked away when she realised how bold a statement that was. "It's really none of my business, sir. I'm sorry..."
"It's all right Natalie," Harry said.
"I hope to someday have a family like that," she said wistfully. "I recently broke up with my boyfriend---Ian."
"Was it serious?" Harry asked gently.
Natalie nodded. "We were childhood sweethearts, actually. He was never really supportive of me being an Auror though. Truth be told, I think he was afraid his mates would make fun of him for having a girlfriend who was an Auror. I just couldn't take it anymore so I broke things off. I mean, if he really loved me, he'd have supported me, don't you think? In whatever I wanted to do..."
"I agree with you," Harry nodded. "My friend Ron asked me how I felt about Hermione being Minister and essentially, my boss- everyone's boss. It didn't make me feel any less of a man, and it doesn't make me feel like Hermione has more power than I do. She doesn't lord it over people like that bastard Fudge did when he was in office. If this Ian bloke was worth it, he'd have stuck around and supported you."
Natalie grinned at him. "I keep trying to tell myself that, but it still hurts."
"It'll get better," Harry assured her, grabbing his cloak.
"This day really flew by," Natalie said getting to her feet.
"Aye," Harry said. "There will be days that you think will never end though. Those are the days when we do nothing but file paperwork."
"So it's not all intrigue and action all the time, eh?" Natalie asked with a laugh.
"Definitely not," Harry smiled. "How about since you did such a great job I take you out for a bite to eat? You've got to be starving."
"I am," Natalie admitted.
"Does Leaky Cauldron sound good to you?" Harry asked. "They make a fantastic stew there."
"That sounds perfect," Natalie said smiling at him as he held the door for her. "Thanks, Mr. Potter."
"Sure," Harry said. "It's good to have a recruit who's actually serious about being an Auror. So many are just into this because they think it's a high profile job and they'll make a lot of money. That much is true but you do a lot of hard work as well."
Natalie nodded. "I hope to learn so much from you, Mr. Potter. This job means so much to me."
"Good to hear that," Harry patted her shoulder.
Natalie couldn't believe her luck. She was training with the most famous wizard in the world and he was actually being nice to her. She'd meant what she said to him earlier. She did hope to learn everything she could from him.
*** *** ***
Hermione was hoping the time was wrong- it was half past nine and her husband still was not home. She pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and sighed tiredly.
She knew he'd probably been called away on some emergency and hadn't had a chance to owl her to let her know he was going to be late. But usually if that happened, he'd get someone from the office to pass along the message. There had to be some logical explanation for his being late. It had happened before, but she'd gone to so much trouble for a quiet evening for just the two of them.
She stood up and set about blowing out the candles when she heard a rumbling from the fireplace.
Harry tumbled out, brushing the soot and dust off his work robes. "Hermione?" he coughed. "I'm home!"
Hermione took a deep breath before coming out of the kitchen. Whatever it is, don't get angry. Don't get angry.
She walked into the sitting room to see him going through the owl post as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
"You're late," she said coldly.
"Yeah I took my new recruit out for dinner," He said nonplussed. "She's really great- I think she's going to be a fantastic Auror."
"Great," Hermione said pulling her robe tighter around her. She breezed past him and blew out some more of the candles.
"How's Saffy?" Harry asked. "And where's Ethan- I don't hear him running around anywhere?"
"With Julie and Nick," Hermione said trying to keep her cool. How thick could one person be?
Harry looked up properly and saw her for the first time. "Hermione--" he began, sensing that she was ticked off about something.
"Save it," Hermione said dismissively blowing out the last candle. "I'm going to bed."
Harry set the remainder of the post on the table and grabbed her wrist. "What's going on?" he asked.
"Oh nothing special," Hermione said sarcastically. "Julie took Ethan and Saffy for the night because I thought I'd surprise you with a nice romantic dinner...."
Harry sighed as he remembered their conversation earlier that day. "Hermione, love I'm so sorry."
Hermione looked at him. "It nearly killed me to let Saffy go..."
Harry pulled her into his arms. "I'm a bad husband," he pressed his lips to her head. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here earlier."
"It's okay," Hermione said as tears flowed down her cheeks. "It just would have been nice if you'd owled to let me know you wouldn't be home."
Harry wiped her tears away. "Would you like me to go to our room?" he teased gently.
"If you take me with you," she said giving him a slight smile.
"I'll do anything you want me to do," Harry gave her a kiss. "You can punish me for being naughty if you like." his lips skimmed over her cheek to her ear as he picked her up easily.
Hermione giggled. "Are you using some sort of levitation charm? I must weigh a ton."
"I've never had trouble picking you up," Harry replied.
"I'm huge," Hermione said rolling her eyes. "I'm beginning to think I'm never going to lose the weight from Saffy."
"You never looked more gorgeous to me," Harry said truthfully.
Hermione smiled at him. "You're just trying to make up for being late."
"I am not," Harry replied.
He carried her into their bedroom and Hermione was glad that he'd made it home before she'd cleaned up in here. Soft music was playing on the stereo and there were still some lit candles on the dresser and bedside table.
"Hey," Harry said appreciatively. "You did all this?" he set her down and hit his forehead. "I'm such an arse."
"You didn't know," Hermione said softly.
"Aye but you're right, I should have owled you." Harry said, pulling her close.
"You can make it up to me now," she said kissing him.
Harry plundered her mouth with his, kissing her as hard as he could. "It's been too long since we've been together," he muttered.
"Five months, four days, two hours," Hermione whispered.
"I thought it was six hours?" Harry said softly.
"It feels like forever," she said as he kissed her neck.
"It has been," Harry lifted her up again and set her on the bed. "But it's all about to be history."
Hermione nodded. "Ancient history." She began to undo the buttons on his shirt. There would be no interruptions tonight.
He kissed her again, running his hands through her long hair before moving them down to untie her robe. "Merlin," he gazed at her scantily clad body.
Hermione blushed, hoping he wasn't looking at her stomach that was nowhere near as flat as it used to be.
"You are so gorgeous," he murmured.
"You're such a liar," she said looking up at him.
"I wouldn't lie to you about how you look," Harry replied, still running his hands over her. "Hermione, you just had a baby- so you don't look exactly like you used to. I still think you're stunning. I thought so the whole time you were pregnant."
"I love you," she said as fresh tears welled up in her eyes. "I love you so much, Harry."
"I love you too," Harry said, his green eyes soft as he looked down at her.
"Show me," she whispered.
Harry peeled the robe off her body, his eyes trained firmly on hers as she reached for the zipper on his trousers.
Hermione felt somewhat like she did when they'd first had sex. It had been quite some time and she was self-conscious about her body. But the way he was looking at her, she knew he meant what he said. The anger she'd felt about him being late ebbed away as he slid out of his trousers.
He helped her out of the lingerie, noting with delight that she wasn't wearing anything underneath it. "I can't ever get enough of you," Harry said softly. "You're like an addiction. Remember that?" he grinned at her.
"I do," she said smiling up at him. She was touched that he remembered it as well.
"I still like to think about that first night we were together," he said between kisses.
"This feels a little like our first night," Hermione said softly.
"All alone," Harry kissed her neck. "The only difference is that we're not in some tiny cabin."
"I loved that...mmmm....tiny cabin," she said.
"It does have some fond memories doesn't it," Harry grinned.
"It does," she agreed. "And I still think that's where we conceived Saffy."
"Either that or the lake," Harry replied. "But I'd like to think it was the cabin too." he kissed her again. "I've missed this..."
"I've missed you," she said bringing him down on top of her. "So much, Harry..."
"We won't go this long again," Harry vowed. "We're going to start taking some time each week for this."
"Starting tonight," Hermione said.
"Exactly," Harry said, kissing the hollow of her throat.
Sometime later, Hermione sighed contentedly as she fought off the sleep that was beckoning her. They'd made love twice and if they both weren't so knackered, a third time would have certainly been possible.
"That was..." she started to say, but laughed. "Words fail me..."
Harry chuckled softly. "That hit the spot," he said with a grin.
Hermione laughed and cuddled up closer to her husband. "Do you think Saffy's okay?"
"I'm sure she's fine," Harry kissed her forehead. "Jules was probably thrilled to hog her for a whole night."
"She was," Hermione said. "But this is the first night Saffy's been away from home."
"And I'm sure she'll be fine," Harry said reassuringly.
"She was really great today," Hermione said. "After I left St. Mungos, I took her for a walk."
"I bet she loved that," Harry nuzzled her ear.
"Tomorrow's Saturday," Hermione said softly. "We could both take her for a walk tomorrow...."
When Harry didn't respond, she looked at him. "Don't tell me you have to work tomorrow...."
"I have to go in," Harry said. "Just in the morning, I should be out by midday."
"Oh," she said trying to hide her disappointment. After what they'd just done, she didn't want to ruin it with another row. "When you get back, we could take her for a walk then."
"That sounds good to me," Harry agreed. "Get her out while the weather's still somewhat nice."
"And you'd better not stand your little girl up," Hermione teased.
"I couldn't do that," Harry protested/
"I know you wouldn't," Hermione said kissing him softly.
Harry returned her kiss. "You've completely knackered me," he teased.
"You want to know what's unfair?" she asked him. "I get to sleep in while SOMEONE has to go to work..."
"You had to remind me," Harry growled playfully.
"Come on," she said laughing. "We should both get some sleep. Merlin knows we both need it."
"Aye," Harry yawned. "I know I do."
Hermione closed her eyes. "Good night, Harry."
"Night love," Harry said, stifling another yawn.
It didn't take long for the two of them to drift off to sleep. Hermione couldn't remember the last time she'd had such a good night's sleep.
It was just gone eight in the morning when there was a loud knocking on their bedroom door. Hermione's eyes opened in alarm.
"What the hell?" Harry asked grumpily.
"I don't know," Hermione said as the knocking got louder and louder.
"Hermione!" a familiar voice called out from the other side of the door.
"Lavender?" Hermione asked reaching for her robe as
Harry slipped back into his boxer shorts. He walked over to open the door and was greeted to Lavender hitting him upside the head with a newspaper.
"What the hell was that for?" he asked trying to hold her back.
"This!" Lavender threw it at him. "Take a bloody look!"
Harry took the paper and walked back over to the bedside table to get his glasses.
"Lavender," Hermione asked. "I didn't even know you were in London..."
"I just Flooed in," Lavender said, crossing her arms.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Harry said looking in disbelief at the paper. Hermione walked over and saw the huge headline "Potters' Perfect Marriage in Trouble?" screaming back at her in bold print. The article was accompanied by a large picture of Harry and his new partner huddled close together at a table laughing at something. Hermione watched in disbelief as the photograph Harry brushed something from Natalie's face.
"We were having stew and she got some on her face," Harry explained to his wife. "Hermione you know that this doesn't mean anything."
Hermione nodded. "I know. This rag has been trying to stir up trouble for us for years now..."
Harry glared at Lavender. "Obviously you believed it."
"The paper said you were 'canoodling' with her," Lavender said still not convinced. "They said you were with her for over two hours. An unnamed source even said that you were holding hands at one point..."
"That's fucking ridiculous and you know it," Harry snapped. "Damn it Lav, how many years have you known me now? And how many articles are you going to believe over me?"
"I know but Hermione said the two of you hadn't..."
Hermione glared at her cousin.
Harry uttered a frustrated sound and went into the closet to change into his work clothes.
"I'm sorry," Lavender said sheepishly to her cousin. "I just saw the article and I wanted to make sure you were okay. I didn't think it was some big secret that you and Harry hadn't shagged in months..."
"It's really not," Hermione said. "But you know how he gets when these bloody stories flare up."
For the first time, Lavender noticed the burned out candles. "Ohhhhhhh...."
"Yeah," Harry snarled, yanking his tie around his neck.
"I'll just give you two a few moments alone," Lavender said, wanting to get out of there. "I'll just go make some coffee, shall I?"
Hermione watched as her cousin quickly left the room.
"She was just concerned, Harry," Hermione said. "It doesn't excuse her barging in like she did..."
"She just always assumes the worst," Harry replied. "Every damn time one of these shows up she thinks it's true."
"I know," she said helping him with his tie. "I'll talk to her about that. Hey...you know that I don't believe any of that, don't you? Especially not after last night..."
"I know," Harry softened. "I just don't understand why we make the headlines like this all the time. And they never report on us when they see us out together. It's only if we're with someone else."
"As a happily married couple, I reckon we're pretty boring," Hermione said smiling at him. "At least to the outside world."
"Too bad they don't know what goes on inside," Harry gave her a kiss. "Well... I'll try and get back soon as I can all right? I promise to do whatever we have to do as quickly as possible."
"Okay," she said. "And if this is hard on you, I can imagine what poor Natalie is feeling. I'm sure she can't enjoy seeing her face plastered on the front page."
"Yeah," Harry sighed heavily. "Well, I guess I'd better go tell her what to expect, working with me."
Hermione gave him one last kiss. "Don't forget you have a date with your wife and daughter this afternoon."
"I'll be there," Harry promised.
After she'd seen him off, Hermione walked into the kitchen to confront Lavender. She found her cousin helping herself to some muffins Greta had baked yesterday afternoon.
"That Greta sure does know how to bake," Lavender said giving her a smile.
"Yes she does," Hermione said. "Lav- you can't accuse Harry of being unfaithful every time one of these articles shows up. That's a new Auror recruit, and Harry's her mentor for the next few weeks. She did a good job and he took her out for a dinner to congratulate her."
"I know," Lavender said quickly. "I mean now that he explained it and everything...okay, okay. I jumped to the wrong conclusion, but I had a right to be concerned."
"I suppose so, sure, but Harry would never cheat on me, even if it had been a year since we shagged," Hermione got some coffee and sat down by her cousin.
"He hates me now, doesn't he?" Lavender asked concern etched across her face.
"No," Hermione shook her head. "Harry doesn't hate you. He might hold this over your head for the next fifty years but he doesn't hate you."
"Where is my gorgeous Saffron?" Lavender asked, wanting to change the subject. "I've made her some fabulous robes. They're so cute and tiny."
Hermione laughed. "She's at Julie's, along with Ethan. I'm sure she'll be bringing them back soon. And where's Seamus?"
Lavender rolled her eyes. "Doing something with his movie. He was mad because I kept interrupting him."
"Still a tyrant is he?" Hermione giggled.
"Worse," Lavender said laughing. "But he's MY tyrant."
"Aye Mrs. Finnigan," Hermione teased.
"Mrs. Potter," Lavender said throwing a piece of her muffin at Hermione. "Mrs. Potter finally got some..."
"I don't see you with any children," Hermione tossed the piece back.
"Shut it you," Lavender said laughing. "We were all wondering if we were going to have to give your rabbit title away."
"Never," Hermione shook her head.
"Well believe it or not," Lavender said. "I did come over here for a reason...other than accusing your husband of infidelity, of course."
"What might that be?" Hermione asked, taking a sip of coffee.
"Seamus is going to be off filming for the next couple of weeks," Lavender said. "And I really need to check up on my boutiques here so I'm thinking of hanging around here for awhile."
Hermione grinned. "That's fantastic news!" she said, genuinely thrilled. "I'll have Greta make up one of the guest rooms for you, if you want to stay here in the house."
"Do you think your husband the grump will mind?" Lavender asked only half joking.
"He'll put up a fight but you know he misses having you around," Hermione laughed.
"I totally got that from the reception I gave him this morning," Lavender joked. "I promise I will be on my best behaviour while I'm here. Harry won't want me to leave."
"Right," Hermione said dryly.
"You know he will," Lavender said. "Now how about you go and get dressed and we can go pick up Saffy and the little man. I know you said Julie was bringing them by, but you and I both know you're dying to see them."
"Of course I am," Hermione replied. "Last night was the first night I ever spent away from her."
"And the first night you got some action in quite some time," Lavender teased.
"Yes, much needed might I add," Hermione laughed.
"And the rabbits are back," Lavender said grinning at her.
"As if we ever left," Hermione shot back, putting her empty cup in the sink. "I should be ready in about a half hour."
"I don't understand how it is possible to be ready in half an hour," Lavender said in amazement.
Hermione laughed. "I don't live in Hollywood."
"Aye," Lavender said smiling at her cousin. "But I wish you did."
"Well I miss having you here," Hermione said as Lavender followed her upstairs.
"Not one of my friends in Hollywood holds a candle to you," Lavender said studying her nails as she followed Hermione into the bedroom. "They're all so...superficial."
"And you call them your friends?" Hermione asked sceptically. "What about that one girl you used to hate, Seamus's ex... what was it- Winter?"
Lavender rolled her eyes. "Please. Summer's about as deep as a kiddie pool. She has awful taste in clothes. She still thinks tube tops are fashionable."
Hermione laughed as she slipped into a robe. "So I take it Seamus's hope that the two of you would become friends hasn't become a reality?"
Lavender shook her head. "We're more like shopping acquaintances."
"Of course," Hermione smiled. "I'm going to pop in the shower."
Lavender nodded and sat down on the edge of Harry and Hermione's bed. Thinking she'd let Seamus know where she was, she pulled out her mobile and rang him. She knew this hadn't been a good idea when he barked a rushed hello at her.
"Hello to you too, Sunshine," she said laughing.
"Hey!" his voice lightened. "Where are you?"
"At Harry and Hermione's," Lavender replied. "I was trying to tell you this morning, but you threw me out."
"I did not," Seamus said indignantly. "I just told you that you were in the way."
"Which is tantamount to throwing me out," Lavender scoffed.
"I'd never throw you out," Seamus teased. "You'd have half my fortune spent on Rodeo Drive in an hour if I did."
"Half your fortune?" Lavender giggled. "Try all of it."
"Right," Seamus laughed. "How long are you staying in London?"
"I'm going to floo home and grab some clothes, but I think I'm going to stay out here for a couple of weeks," Lavender said thoughtfully.
"I'll miss you," Seamus said softly.
"You probably won't even notice I'm gone," Lavender said grinning.
"I will at night," Seamus said licentiously.
"Me too," Lavender agreed. "But Hermione needs me now."
"Why?" he asked.
Lavender sighed. "That was what I was trying to tell you when you threw me out. There was a huge article in the paper. Apparently, Harry took some tart out for dinner and it made the front page."
"What?" Seamus was confused. "Why would he take some other girl out to dinner?"
Lavender could still hear the water from the bathroom and figured she could speak freely without her cousin overhearing.
"She's some new Auror trainee," Lavender explained, keeping her voice down just the same. "And you know what's strange...she looks a bit like Hermione. Not a whole lot, but just a little. The paper tried to play up that angle. Said he was trading the Minister in for a younger model. Can you believe that?"
"That's horrible," Seamus replied. "Harry would never leave Hermione, not ever."
"I know that," Lavender said sheepishly. She was afraid to tell him how she'd reacted. "I sort of barged in here this morning and I kind of ...maybe....overreacted a bit."
"That sounds about right," Seamus said, shaking his head.
"All I did was hit him with the newspaper," Lavender tried to rationalize. "You know you could have prevented this if you'd listened to me this morning, but nooooooooo...."
"Hey I have work to do- Summer's sprained her ankle and her scenes have halted for the time being while she recuperates, so we have to move locations," Seamus replied in his defence. "That's a move from here in LA onset to Vegas."
"You know how she sprained her ankle, don't you?" Lavender asked him.
"Lav don't start," Seamus warned.
Lavender laughed. "Okay, okay. I should probably go anyway. Sounds like Hermione's done in the shower."
"All right," he said. "Ring me soon and let me know how things are will you?"
"I will," Lavender said. "I love you."
"Love you too," Seamus said huskily. "See you soon."
Lavender smiled happily as she clicked her phone off. Her husband may be a complete workaholic, but it was part of his charm...most of the time.
"You look happy," Hermione commented, coming out of the loo.
"I just checked in with Seamus," Lavender said dreamily. "I told him I was staying on here for awhile."
Hermione laughed. "You two haven't stopped honeymooning have you?" she teased.
"Not really," Lavender said grinning at her.
"Well I suppose I can relate," Hermione said, disappearing into the closet and coming out fully dressed a moment later.
"So you never told me," Lavender said. "How was last night?"
"I wasn't aware you needed details," Hermione replied. "But it was very nice. Harry and I both needed time together."
"I couldn't help noticing the lasagne in the icebox," Lavender said dryly. "It was untouched."
"That was due to him coming home late," Hermione explained, tying back her hair.
"From eating dinner with the tart?" Lavender asked tactlessly.
"Lavender," Hermione turned and frowned. "Natalie's not a tart. She's an intelligent young witch who's just trying her hardest to be an Auror all right?"
"Okay," Lavender said looking away. She still wasn't convinced. "Hey, let's go get Saffy and Ethan."
"Fine," Hermione dropped the subject but she knew she'd be picking it back up later.
Meanwhile, Harry let himself into the office, ignoring the jeers of some of his fellow Aurors. He ignored them all and strode to the back where his private office was.
Natalie quickly wiped her tears away when she heard Harry come inside the office. The last thing she needed was for him to see her crying.
"Good morning sir," she managed to choke out.
Harry looked at her and frowned. "I assume you saw the paper?" he asked.
That was all Natalie needed to hear as a fresh round of tears welled up in her eyes. "T-there were r--reporters outside my flat this morning."
Harry sighed and shook his head. "Want a bit of advice?" he asked, softening his tone. "Hold your head high the next few days. I'm sorry to say that people are going to be staring at you and possibly even saying nasty things but the best thing to do is to ignore it and go about your business."
Natalie nodded, but she didn't see how that was possible. The article had labelled her a "home wrecker" and when she'd opened her door this morning to find reporters camped out in the hall, she'd felt faint. They'd hardly given her a moment to catch her breath before they'd barraged a series of questions at her.
"I may have made things worse, Mr. Potter," she said her lower lip trembling. "This morning I tried to tell them that I had no interest in you at all, but they twisted my words around..."
"It's all right Natalie," Harry said. "I'm friends with the daughter of the owner of the Quibbler. I can probably get her to write an article straightening all this out. For what it's worth, we know the truth- that it was a business dinner. And Hermione doesn't believe a word of that rubbish either."
"Really?" Natalie asked hopefully. "The last thing I would ever want to do is bring any trouble to your family, Mr. Potter. I hope you know that."
"I know," Harry smiled at her. "And I'm sorry- I should have warned you that the media likes to latch onto what I do in my free time but they haven't bothered me in so long that I'd forgotten about it."
Natalie nodded. "On the bright side, at least it's a short day today, right?"
"Right," Harry said encouragingly. "I do have to leave right afterwards but you can owl me if anyone gives you extra grief over this all right?"
"That's just it," Natalie said looking at the small envelope in front of her. "Ian saw the article."
"Your ex?" Harry asked.
Natalie nodded. "He basically called me a tramp and a tart and that he knew why I went about being an Auror....he was horrible."
Harry shook his head. "He sounds like a real winner." he snorted.
"I sure know how to pick them," Natalie said picking up the letter and tearing it into shreds.
"That's it," Harry said as she tossed the pieces into the fire. "Just let it go."
"That's what Tristan said too," Natalie said feeling better a she watched the fire. "He's been really supportive throughout all of this. He was the only one who didn't have some snide comment to make."
Harry smiled. "Neville's trainee right?"
Natalie blushed. "Yes."
"He's a good looking bloke." Harry commented idly.
"He's really funny too," Natalie said returning to her seat. "He always knows just what to say to make me feel better."
"I'm glad you seem to have a champion on your side," Harry said. "It's always nice to have someone to lean on."
"It really is," Natalie agreed. She grabbed a handful of files. "I'm going to go and take these down the hall. Thanks again, Mr. Potter."
"Anytime Natalie," Harry said. "I meant what I told you yesterday. I think you're going to make a great Auror." he smiled. "And don't think this is going to make me lighten up on you either."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Natalie said giving him a smile before walking out of the office.
Harry absorbed himself in his paperwork when another knock sounded at the door. "Hey Neville," He said as his friend poked his head around the door. "Yes I've seen the article and no, Hermione doesn't believe it."
"No one who knows you believes it," Neville said coming into the office and shutting the door behind him. "Can't be any fun to have to go through though."
"It's not, but I'm rather used to it," Harry replied. "I feel for Natalie though. She's getting dragged through the mud and for nothing other than getting assigned to me."
"How come you never took me out for dinner?" Neville asked trying to make his friend laugh. "We were partners for how many years?"
Harry grinned. "Because Cho would have killed me for taking you away from her and the girls? I don't want to face your wife when she's angry."
"That's the same way I feel about your wife," Neville joked.
"So we're two big shot Aurors who are afraid of our wives," Harry laughed.
"Yes," Neville said. "Imagine if that story came out in the papers."
"We'd have to go into hiding," Harry said in mock seriousness.
"Perish the thought," Neville said laughing. "But Cho's already chomping at the bit for Allie and Frankie to come home. It's strange having an empty house."
"Aye I bet it is," Harry replied.
"But you wouldn't know about that," Neville teased. "You've still got two at home. And how is the littlest Potter these days?"
"Crying her little lungs out," Harry said. "But last night Julie took her and Ethan so Hermione and I could have some time alone."
"And you spent the better part of the night out with your new partner?" Neville asked teasingly. When he saw the look on Harry's face, he held up a hand. "Ease up, Harry. Only kidding."
"We made up for it later," Harry said. "I could go into detail just to spite you Longbottom."
"Let's talk about something else," Neville said leaning back in his chair.
Harry grinned. "Like what? The budding romance between our two new Aurors?"
"Tristan and Natalie?" Neville asked in surprise. "He barely says two words to me..."
"Apparently he's been quite comforting to her since this morning," Harry shrugged.
"Really?" Neville asked, shaking his head. "Who would have thought?"
"Why doesn't he talk to you?" Harry was amused.
Neville turned a bit red. "I, um, well...he was sort of there when I was fighting with Cho about Allison. Apparently, Ron and Luna have completely lost their mind and have decided to buy Josh and Jonathan their own flat. So, of course, Allison is all excited about wanting to help him move in this summer. And I was completely against it and I think the conversation got kind of heated and anyway...Tristan is pretty much scared to death of me."
Harry snorted. "Why are you so against Allie dating Jon? He's a good kid Neville."
"He's a great kid," Neville agreed. "When he's not dating my daughter."
"He's Ron and Luna's son," Harry protested.
"You raised a teenage daughter," Neville pointed out. "You remember what it was like."
"Of course I do." Harry said. "But Jon and Allie aren't two idiots running out to shag every five seconds. They're both responsible."
Neville winced. "How about you don't use my daughter's name in the same sentence with the word 'shagging'."
"I'm sorry," Harry apologised. "But you should be glad it's Jon and not some idiot bloke off the street that she wants to be with."
"You're right," Neville said. "That's what Cho keeps trying to tell me." Eager to talk about something else, Neville looked at the stack of paperwork on Harry's desk. "Looks like you're in for loads of fun today."
"I'm only taking care of a few of these things today," Harry replied. "I promised Hermione I'd come home early so we could take Saffy for a walk."
"Well, I'll leave you to it then," Neville said standing up. "Give Hermione my best."
"I will." Harry said. "And be nice to Jon aye? You know as well as I do that he treats Allie like gold."
"I'll try and remember that," Neville said. "See you later."
"Bye Nev." Harry answered.
Shortly after one, Harry returned home relieved to see his wife and daughter in the sitting room. Hermione was singing to their daughter who was looking up at her mother with shining eyes.
Hermione smiled at Harry as he came toward them. "Look," she said pointing to Harry. "It's Daddy."
Saffron's eyes moved towards him and widened, making Harry laugh. "How are two of my favourite girls in the world?" he asked, picking his baby up and kissing her forehead.
"I was just getting her ready for our walk," Hermione said smiling at him. "She's looking forward to it. She's not cried all morning."
"Who's been a good girl for her mummy?" Harry asked in a goofy voice.
Hermione laughed. "Ethan's still with Nick. They've gone flying."
"He's not going to want to come home is he?" Harry grinned.
"No," Hermione said grinning as Saffron grabbed hold of Harry's fringe.
"Ow!" Harry tried to pull his hair away. "That hurts Daddy..."
"That's why she does it," Hermione joked.
"She's too little for that," Harry scoffed, grimacing as Saffron clutched a handful of black hair in her little hand. "Do I have a bald spot?"
"No," Hermione giggled. "And you'll be happy to know that Julie said she was a complete angel for them. She slept through the night..."
"Figures," Harry bounced Saffron gently. "You're a good girl for everyone but the people that love you the most." he teased as Saffron cooed back at him.
"I'm just going to go and grab some things in the nursery," Hermione said getting to her feet. "And then we can go on our walk, if that's okay with you?"
"That's fine," Harry said. "I'll put her in the pram."
"Great," Hermione said leaning down and pecking him on the cheek before heading upstairs.
Harry laid Saffron in her little carriage, making goofy faces at her all the while. Sometimes he still couldn't' believe after all these years that he and Hermione had another baby, but one look at her made any disbelief vanish. "My girl," he whispered, tracing her soft cheek with his finger.
Hermione came down clutching a bag and an extra blanket. "I was thinking we could have a little picnic in the park. It's so nice out."
Harry smiled at her. "I like that idea," he leaned over and gave his wife a kiss. "You look great today."
"Thank you," she said winking at him. "I had a good night's sleep."
"Aye, me too." Harry put his arms around her and gave her an extra tight hug. "Love you so much."
"I know you do," she said softly hugging him back. "And I love you too. You know that I don't believe that rubbish. I believe you."
"I know," Harry said. "We've been through far too much together for them to try and cause a rift now."
"Exactly," Hermione said grinning at him. "So, let's just have a nice day with our daughter. We won't talk about the Daily Prophet or work or anything like cousins who are going to be staying with us for awhile..."
She gave him a slight smile as she started to push the pram, but Harry put a hand on her arm. She knew he wouldn't have let that last part go unnoticed.
"Want to repeat that last bit?" he asked.
"What last bit?" Hermione asked innocently.
"Lavender's staying with us?" Harry raised an eyebrow.
"For a few days," Hermione said. "She really does feel bad about this morning, Harry. And Seamus is going to be away filming. She promised me that we won't even notice she's here."
Harry seemed unconvinced. "As long as I don't have to hear about this article and how I'm the cheating type." he replied.
"She knows you're not," Hermione said. "Come on, Harry. Let's forget about Lavender today. It's just you and me and Saffy."
"Right," Harry said, taking over the pram and pushing it out the door.
"Do you think maybe we should go to a Muggle park?" Hermione asked. They had wards around the estate to prevent intruders, but they were about to leave the comfort of safety of their home.
"Maybe," Harry said. "Hyde Park might be a bit crowded though."
"True," Hermione said. "How about we walk along the square? There's that Muggle park a couple of streets over. It shouldn't be too crowded, I don't think."
"All right," Harry agreed, setting the pram down the pavement. "I'm glad you suggested this," he said to his wife.
"Me too," Hermione said. She peered into the pram at Saffron who was happily cooing away. "And I think she likes it too."
"Aye," Harry grinned. "She looks so much like you Hermione."
"I actually cried when Lavender and I went to pick her up," Hermione said her cheeks turning pink. "I just didn't realise how much I'd missed her, you know?"
Harry grinned. "That's understandable," he said.
"Julie, Nick and Ethan all had a big laugh at that," Hermione said putting her head in her hands. "I can't help it!"
"Just wait till Jules has her first baby and we take it for a night." Harry said. "She'll be the same way."
"You ready to be a Grandpa, Old Man?" Hermione teased, patting his middle.
"Not quite yet," Harry laughed. "I hope she doesn't have a baby at least until she's married."
Hermione nodded and was relieved to see that the small Muggle park wasn't very crowded at all. There were a couple of boys playing football and a few couples sitting on blankets. She couldn't think of any place she'd rather be than right here.
"This is nice," Harry said as Hermione spread the blanket and he took Saffron out of the pram.
Hermione smiled as she remembered how they used to take Julie out like this when she was a baby. Life was so much simpler then, Hermione thought. She hoped that she and Harry could take time like this away for themselves and their children more often.
Harry leaned back and took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air. "I could stay here all day."
"Me too," Hermione said reaching into the bag and pulling out a bottle for the baby. She'd put a warming charm on it before they'd left the house. "Care to do the honours?"
"Sure," Harry sat up and began to feed his daughter. Saffron sucked greedily on the bottle as she stared up at her parents.
While Harry did that, Hermione set about unpacking their own picnic. She'd brought some juice along with some cheese and crackers. For a split second, she wished she'd thought to bring along some of the leftover lasagne, but she figured they'd eat that with Ethan tonight.
"Good choice love," Harry said with a grin. "You're the best you know that?"
"I was just thinking the same about you," she said smiling back at him. "I feel like last night was a real turning point for us."
"I think it was just nice to be alone again." he replied. "Makes me think of those old days in the cottage when it was just the two of us."
"Seems like ages ago," Hermione said softly. "I miss that old cottage. It was the first place we had that was ours---together."
"I know," Harry said. "I wonder if it'll ever go up for sale again..."
Hermione started to respond when a bright flash nearly blinded her.
Harry also blinked as another bright flash popped in his face. "What the hell!" he barked.
The bottle dropped from his hands and Saffron started to wail at the top of her lungs.
"Is this all for show?" an older gentleman asked as his cohort snapped more pictures.
"Who the hell are you?" Hermione got up as Harry turned his back to shield Saffron from view.
"Stanford Browne," the older gentleman said. "Daily Prophet reporter. Mrs. Potter, how did you feel once you found out about your husband's infidelity?"
Saffron kept crying and nothing Harry did could soothe her. Of course, it didn't help that the photographer kept snapping pictures of them. They were also starting to attract attention from the other park patrons.
"No comment," Hermione said tersely.
"Mr. Potter," the reporter said. "Is it true you're going for this woman that looks like your wife did when you were both younger? What does this new woman think of becoming a stepmother to your three children?" he awaited Harry's response with an eager face.
"Get out of my face," Harry said through clenched teeth.
Hermione took a still crying Saffron from him. "It's okay, baby. Mummy's here. Mummy's here."
"We don't allow pictures of our children," Harry snapped viciously.
Stanford rolled his eyes. "Blah, blah, blah. Just give us a comment or two and we'll gladly leave you alone..."
"We have no comment," Harry lunged for the camera and ripped the film out.
The photographer let out a string of expletives as Harry threw the film back in his face.
"Let's just go," Hermione said patting Saffron's back. "Come on, Harry."
Stanford laughed and nudged the photographer. "I guess we know who wears the trousers in that family..."
Harry turned and grabbed the other man by the shirt collar. "You'd best forget that you met us today," he said angrily, his eyes almost glowing. "You and that filthy rag of a paper you write for."
Stanford felt very afraid. He knew that this wizard was very capable of murder---he'd done it before. If only he hadn't promised the Malfoys he'd do what he could to provoke the Potters, he thought to himself. But, this wasn't worth losing his life over.
"You'll forget you met us today," Harry repeated through clenched teeth. "And if this comes up in the paper I'll come make you eat it."
"Y-yes sir," Stanford said struggling to catch his breath once Harry let him go.
Harry snarled as Hermione put Saffron back in the pram. He purposely stepped on the discarded film, grinding it into the dirt with his trainer.
The two men beat a quick retreat and Hermione looked over at her husband who looked about as angry as she could ever remember seeing him.
"We can't even go to the bloody park," she said angrily.
"I know," Harry was still seething.
Hermione moved the pram back and forth trying to calm Saffron who was still crying but not as loud.
"Shhhh, sweetheart...mummy and daddy are here. It's okay."
Harry stroked his baby's head. "I swear if I keep this up I'll have their heads." he tried to calm down.
"How did they know we were here?" Hermione asked, shaking her head.
"They must have been following us," Harry grumbled as he picked up their blanket. "Probably staked out the bloody house."
Hermione put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, Harry. We're okay."
"I know," Harry glared in the direction that the reporters had disappeared in.
"Let's just get Saffy home," she said quietly.
"Right," Harry took over the pram while Hermione carried the bag with their picnic in it. "We'll do this in our backyard okay? It's not the park but we can push Saffron around and pretend we're somewhere else okay?" he smiled for her sake.
"Sure," Hermione said, thinking that they should have done that to begin with.
Harry put an arm around her while guiding the pram with his other hand. "I'm sorry they keep targeting you," he said softly.
"It's not your fault," Hermione told him. "You know that, right? And if I was afraid of some nosy reporters, I doubt you and I would have lasted as long as we have."
"Tell me about it," Harry pulled her closer. "And why would I want to trade up when I have the best thing right here?"
"Good answer," Hermione said softly. "I never asked...how is poor Natalie taking all of this?"
"She was pretty upset this morning," Harry replied. "Her arse of an ex boyfriend owled her a nasty letter about it as well."
"I hope that this all blows over soon," Hermione said. "For everyone's sake."
"Me too," Harry replied. "Me too..."