Unofficial Portkey Archive

A/N: Hey guys! Still alive and kicking! Thank you for the reviews for the previous chapter even if it was a short one and nothing much happened. So here's the new chapter. It's longer (I did say it will be quite long, but not too long, I think. LOL). Here it is! Enjoy! :)

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It has been weeks since Harry finally found Hermione and met their daughter. They have grown into a routine where he would drop by her flat in the morning before he goes to work and have breakfast with them, and then he and Hermione would alternately drop off Iris at school. After work, he would go straight to their flat again and stay there until Iris would go to bed. He was glad that the Daily Prophet still hasn't caught wind of the news about his daughter. He and Hermione had a silent agreement that they wouldn't wander into the Wizarding World until everything was okay, so they spend time in muggle London whenever they go out as a family.

Ron and Luna had come to see Hermione and Iris a few days after Harry's first visit. They brought their son Henry, who was the same age as Iris. As the children played in Iris' room, the adults talked in the sitting room as to why Hermione left five years ago. It was decided that Ron and Luna will be Iris' godparents as Harry was Henry's godfather. Ron, assuming the role of the gracious godparent, gave Iris a package of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes Package of Pranking Paraphernalia, from her "uncles" Fred and George, under the disapproving eyes of Hermione. Harry beamed with pride as the little girl gladly accepted the package and hid it where "Mummy wouldn't find it."

There were times when Hermione would hope that Harry would stay for the night but she never asked. They were still working on rebuilding their friendship and there were moments as if they were back to their old selves and were never apart, but she didn't want to jeopardize the process by being all too familiar.

Iris loved those moments they spent together doing things as a real family. She was always happy to see her parents together. She did not understand why they weren't living together yet but she never asked them. She could see that her parents loved each other very much but couldn't figure out why they both were trying to act like they don't.

One Saturday night, the little family was spending time together in the sitting room, Harry with Iris on the floor playing Exploding Snaps and Hermione on the couch, reading. Suddenly he remembered something and looked up to her and said,

"Hermione, Molly's invited us again for Sunday dinner at the Burrow. She really wants to see you and Iris."

She sighed and closed the book she was reading. "I suppose we should finally go. I mean, I want to see her and all the Weasleys, too. I think it's about time Iris meets her other family."

Iris looked up, a bright smile on her lips and said, "We're going to see Uncle Ron and Aunt Luna's family?"

"Yes, love. But be prepared, there are more Weasleys than you can count!" Harry exclaimed while spreading his arms wide.

"Daddy, you're so silly!" his daughter giggled at his antics. Hermione loved these father-daughter moments, and she cherished every single one. She knew Harry was going to be a great father-and already is-and she loved him even more because of that. He's been an amazing father to Iris, given that he has never had a steady father figure in his life.

After carrying and tucking in a sleeping Iris, Hermione thought he was going to leave as he always did after the little girl falls asleep, so she was surprised when Harry turned to her with a blush on his cheeks. He was trying to look at everything else but her and she tried not to smile at his obvious nervousness. She was even more surprised when he suddenly looked at her with a serious expression and asked, "Is it-is it okay if I stay over tonight?"

Hermione was speechless, trying to process what he just asked.

"I-I was thinking that if-if I stay tonight, it'll be easier for-for all of us to go to the Burrow together tomorrow. I could just sleep on the couch," he stuttered while blushing even more.

She snapped out of her excitement and smiled at Harry, blush creeping into her cheeks, too.

"Of course you can stay, Harry. Iris would love to wake up and find out you stayed here tonight," she said, looking down at her hands, "but the-the couch looks terribly uncomfortable. You could, umm, sleep with me."

His eyes widened and she suddenly realized what she had just said.

"I-I meant you could sleep beside me, o-on my bed! It's, uh, b-big enough for the both of us," she quickly explained.

"Are you sure, Hermione?" he asked, blushing even more.

"Yes," she whispered.

"Okay, if you're sure. I'll just pop in at home and get some clothes. I'll, uh, I'll be back quickly."

"Alright." She replied with anticipation at the thought of Harry actually spending the night with them.

He apparated on the spot and appeared in his bedroom. He'd been meaning to ask Hermione if he could stay over but didn't have the courage to ask. He knew they still have a lot to work on but it felt so good to have her back in his life. He realized that he loves her more now than he did all those years ago.

He quickly took some clothes from his closet and apparated back to her flat.

As he appeared in her sitting room, he realized Hermione changed into her pyjamas while he was gone. She had on an old quidditch shirt and a pair of boxer shorts, both she stole from him. She was in the kitchen making tea and turned as she heard him apparate in. He just stood there in the middle of the room staring at her and only snapped out of it when he saw her blush and look down. He hurriedly excused himself, saying he was going to get ready for bed.

When he was done, she was waiting for him at the hallway.

"My room's over here," she said in a low voice, he barely heard her. He followed her as she led him to the room at the back of the flat. She opened the door and stood aside so he can enter. He looked around her room, thinking it was almost similar to her bedroom in her old flat from years ago. Bookshelves filled with rows upon rows of books covered one wall with a leather chair in front of it. On one side stood a huge closet and beside that was a door that must lead to her own bathroom. There was a sliding door leading to a small porch and a huge window with a cushion seat below it, similar to their daughter's room. And in the middle of the room was her bed. He swallowed and turned to look at Hermione who was watching him as he observed her room.

"I hope it's okay," she said quietly.

"It's perfect. It's very… you," he teased with a smile.

Hermione smiled back and slowly turned to close the door. He went to the sliding door and stepped outside, feeling the cold wind. He took one deep breath, went back inside and slid the door shut.

"Which side is yours?" he asked.

"I usually sleep on the right side," she answered, looking down on the bed.

"I know," he unconsciously said. He was surprised at what he said and wondered when did his mouth disconnect with his brain.

She blushed again and said nothing, lifting the covers and sliding under them. He did the same and laid there, trying to keep as much distance as the bed would allow. Hermione noticed this but simply said, "Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight, `Mione."

He listened as her breathing evened out, letting him know that she'd fallen asleep. He just stared at the ceiling, trying not to think of a sleeping Hermione beside him. It took a long while before sleep finally came to him.

~~~~~

There was something tickling his nose. He tried to move away but it wouldn't leave. He slowly opened his eyes and was met by a mass of curly brown hair. He looked down and stifled a gasp as he realized that sometime during the night, he and Hermione had moved closer and were now holding each other. He decided to savor the moment of having her in his arms again before she woke up and undoubtedly shy away from him. Before he could enjoy the moment more, an excited shout came from the door.

"Daddy! You're here!"

Hermione jerked awake and took a few seconds to realize that she was in Harry's arms, her head snuggled on his shoulder. She looked up at him and saw him staring at her with a slight grin on his face. She suddenly moved away, as he predicted, sat up and tried to fix her hair and at the same time, control the creeping blush coming over her.

Iris ran up to the bed and jumped on her parents with a huge smile on her face. "Daddy! You slept here! In Mummy's bed!"

"I did," he answered. He couldn't help answer his daughter's smile with his own as he clearly saw how happy she was. She hugged him tightly and in return he wrapped his arms around her tiny body. Even after weeks, he still couldn't believe that he and Hermione created this little bundle of energy. Right then, with his arms wrapped around the squealing, giggling form of his little girl, he renewed to himself his vow to provide her everything she would need and want and protect her with his life.

Hermione's earlier surprise subsided as she watched Iris' happiness of learning her father spent the night in their flat play out. She's been asking her, whenever they were along, why Daddy didn't spend the night with them and she would always find herself at a loss for an explanation.

She didn't want to break the moment but she knew it was time for breakfast.

"C'mon you two, it's time for breakfast," she said, smiling as the two separated and looked at her with smiles.

"Alright, let's race Mummy to the kitchen!" Harry said, mischief clear in his eyes. He stood up from the bed and carried Iris in his arms. He waited for Hermione to stand from the bed and with an evil grin, he darted out of the room with his daughter squealing in his arms.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Hermione shouted as she ran after them. As she reached the kitchen, she found Harry sitting Iris on the counter, all the while giggling non-stop, while he was smiling goofily. She smiled at them and went on to start making breakfast. Harry immediately walked up to her and stopped her saying, "Go sit down with Iris. I'll make breakfast today."

She just nodded and scooped Iris off the counter and sat her down on one of the seats at the table. She watched as Harry made breakfast the muggle way. She knew he loved cooking, it was the one thing he was grateful of the Dursleys for.

"This is the first time Daddy's making us breakfast, isn't it?" Iris asked as she also watched her father cook.

"Yes, it is," she answered with a smile.

"Does Daddy cook very well?"

Harry heard this and said "Hey!" pretending to be offended.

Hermione laughed, "As a matter of fact, your daddy is a better cook than I am."

He looked up to her and gave her a lopsided grin. She felt her stomach flutter at that, thinking how he could still affect her with that smile. She just smiled back, summoned pumpkin juice and three glasses from the cupboard.

"Do you want some pumpkin juice?" she asked Harry as she poured some for her and Iris.

"Later, perhaps. I'll have coffee first. I can never not have it first thing in the morning," he answered without looking up from what he was cooking.

After a while, he placed two plates filled with pancakes and omelets for her and Iris. He made another plate for himself, poured himself a cup of coffee before sitting down.

"What time do you want to go to the Burrow?" he asked Hermione while they were eating.

"Around after lunch, I suppose. I bet those Weasley boys will want to have a game of quidditch before dinner. Thought you might want to join them and Iris could see a qudditch game first hand,"

"Oooh! Quidditch! I've read about that in Quidditch Through The Ages! Daddy, will you take me on your broomstick later?" Iris asked excitedly.

"Yes." "No."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other for a second and then started laughing.

"I should have expected that she'd be interested in riding a broomstick," she chuckled.

"She's my daughter, you should have known it'll be in her blood," he laughed.

She just smiled at him and turned to look at their daughter who was busy reading the morning paper. She chuckled again at how short her attention span is, taking after her father. They finished breakfast and set about doing chores around the house before getting ready for the Burrow.

Harry was waiting when Hermione and Iris came into the sitting room. When he turned around and saw Hermione, he barely kept his jaw from dropping to the floor. She was wearing a red, sleeveless sun dress and flats, her hair was tied in a messy bun with some cascading along her face and neck. She was wearing minimal make-up which only highlighted her natural beauty. He pulled himself together and looked at their daughter beside Hermione, who was wearing a little floral sun dress almost the same shade of red and little ballet shoes. He might be biased but they were the most striking mother and child he had ever seen. He coughed a little and said, "Both of you look absolutely stunning."

Hermione blushed and smiled while Iris beamed at her father. He smiled back and went to pick up his daughter in his arms so they can apparate together.

"Ready?" he asked looking at Iris then Hermione.

Iris nodded, "Ready!" she said excitedly.

"Let's go then," he said before apparating them to the Burrow.

~~~~~

They appeared at the Burrow's front garden. Hermione looked up to see the all-familiar building and its lopsided floors. She smiled and felt a bit of nostalgia upon thinking of the times she spent here with the Weasleys.

Iris squirmed out of Harry's arms so he set her down gently on the grass. She took Harry and hermione's hand in each of her little hands and pulled them to the front door. She let go of both of her parents' hands to knock on the door.

Harry could sense that Hermione was nervous so he gently grabbed her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She looked at him and gave him a grateful smile. Even when things weren't totally fine between them, he's still there for her. The door opened and she turned to see a very tearful Mrs. Weasley. The years had been kind to her, aging her gracefully with just a tinge of gray to highlight her ginger head. Laugh lines branched out of the corners of her eyes and stern lines marking the sides of her mouth, presumably from all the scolding she'd been giving all the Weasley boys.

"Oh dear. You're here," she whispered as she hugged her long-lost surrogate daughter. After a few moments, Mrs. Weasley stepped back to hold Hermione at arm's length and gave her a once over.

"You don't feed yourself enough, dear. Good thing you came, I made a lot for tonight," she said.

"Thank you, Molly," Hermione said shyly. She looked down to look at her daughter and saw her trying to hide behind Harry's leg, her earlier enthusiasm gone upon seeing an unfamiliar face. Mrs. Weasley followed her line of sight and saw the little girl, clutching one of Harry's trousers leg. She leaned down and smiled, putting her hand out to Iris.

"Hello there. You're such a beautiful girl. I'm Mrs. Weasley but you can call me Nana Molly, if you like," she said. Iris moved from behind Harry's leg and shook Mrs. Weasley's hand as she said, "Hello, my name is Iris Alexandra Granger. How do you do?"

"Such a polite little girl!" Mrs. Weasley said, looking up at Hermione. "I'm quite alright, thank you for asking. Now come inside and I'll give you some cookies I just made." They all followed Mrs. Weasley into the house and were immediately met by the Weasley children and their children. Seems like almost everyone came to the Burrow to see Hermione and to meet her daughter.

"Harry! Hermione! So glad you could make it!" Mr. Weasley called out from the stairs. He hurriedly went down to hug Hermione and shake Harry's hand.

"Hey, mate! Good, you're early. We're having a quidditch game in a bit," Ron said as he came out of the kitchen followed by Luna and Henry.

"Good thing Hermione thought you'd want a catch up game so I brought my broomstick along," Harry said with a smile, looking down at Hermione. She blushed and Ron couldn't stop the smile from creeping up his face. He knew his best friends were still in love with each other and he understood why they haven't gotten together yet but he still wished they'd pull their heads out of their arses and just follow their hearts.

He and Harry headed out into the garden while Hermione headed towards the kitchen where most of the older Weasleys were. As soon as she opened the door, someone came running towards her and wrapped their arms around her. She belatedly realized it was Ginny and she returned the warm embrace.

"I'm so happy you're back. We all missed you," Ginny said as she moved away from Hermione.

Fred and George approached her and gave her warm hugs as well. Fleur came to her with her youngest daughter in her arms, she gave Hermione a one-arm hug and kissed both her cheeks.

"I `ope you will not leave anymore. `Arry will finally be `appy," she said with a small smile.

"I won't. I promise."

Fleur just nodded and went to sit beside her eldest daughter, Victoire, on the dining table.

Hermione looked around for her daughter and when she didn't see her, she decided to go outside and look for her. She went out the back door and into the garden and saw the boys getting ready for their game. Before she could wonder where Iris was, she saw her with Harry at the swings tied to a large tree branch. They both looked up to her and smiled. She smiled back and walked over to them.

"Hi Mummy! Daddy said he's going to give me a ride on his broomstick after their game!" Iris informed her mother, excitement twinkling in her eyes.

Hermione tried to give Harry a disapproving look but couldn't stop the smile from growing on her lips. He didn't even look repentant and just gave her his signature lopsided grin.

"As long as your daddy promises he won't go too high or too fast," she said, pretending to be stern.

"We promise! Right, Daddy?" her daughter answered, nodding then looking at her father.

"I swear on my life," he said solemnly but was belied by the smile he's trying to hide.

"Go on then. Go start your game so Iris can have a go at flying before supper."

He stood up, took his broomstick and gave both Iris and Hermione kisses on the cheeks. She came to sit on the swing he vacated and turned to her daughter. She could see that Iris couldn't wait to watch her first ever quidditch game, even if it's not a professional one. It looked like her daughter's going to be into quidditch once she gets older, might even play once she goes to Hogwarts. She let out a sigh and moved her gaze towards Harry. She noticed that he's been more and more comfortable at being affectionate towards her again and it's been giving her hope that things are getting better between them. But her hope was suddenly tainted by the memory of the real reason why she came back to London. He mustn't know about it, she resolved she would end it herself because she brought this upon herself. This was her problem and she wouldn't involve anyone, especially Harry.

The game ended about an hour later with Harry catching the snitch before Charlie did. Iris cheered her father on and hastily jumped off the swing when he flew close to her so he can take her on her first broomstick ride. Hermione nervously watched as he sat Iris in front of him and let her hold the handle. He just smiled at her and told her not to worry before making the broom move forward. She could see the happiness in both their eyes, making her relax a bit. She tensed again when Ron sat on the swing beside her and quietly watched Harry and Iris fly around the garden.

They remained quiet for a while. She was about to break the silence when he suddenly spoke, "How are things between you and Harry?"

She was surprised at the question. Funny how she was just thinking about it just a while ago.

"Things are better, I suppose. We're getting more and more comfortable with each other again. He spent the night at my flat last night," she said while looking at the ground. She looked up to see Ron looking seriously at her. She fought herself from squirming under his gaze.

"I've never seen him as happy as he is now than in the fifteen years I've known him," he said.

"Yeah."

"I will never forget the way he looked when he came to my flat the night you left," he said as he looked to the far away distance, "I've always known he loved you. When he told me that night that he finally told you how he felt and that you felt the same way but suddenly left without saying why, I was torn between being so mad at you and sympathizing with Harry. He was so heartbroken it was so difficult to watch. We had to slip him some sleeping potion in his tea so he can calm down."

She kept silent while Ron spoke. She didn't know about this, she and Harry never talked about the night she left. She honestly didn't know what to say.

"When he woke up the next day, we talked. He said he'd look for you and he wouldn't stop until he did," he continued, "He looked for you for five years. Luna and I had to force him from time to time to take a break or just to eat. He was worse the first few months, he barely took care of himself. It was when he fainted in his flat due to dehydration and malnutrition did he start taking care of himself again. I told him he won't be able to find you if he's dead, then you might not even want to get back with him because he looked like death.

"Two years in, I was starting to discourage him from looking for you. We both know that if you didn't want to be found, you wouldn't be. You're that smart. But he wouldn't hear any of it. I even tried setting him up with other witches from work. Luna gave me hell for that because she knew he loved you and wouldn't even think of going on dates while looking for you. Did you know that he never went on a single date in the past five years? Never even slept with any woman, even if they were practically throwing themselves at him. He was that devoted to you, said that he would be cheating on you if he went out with any woman."

She whipped her head towards Ron at this and her mouth opened and closed, not sure what to say. Ron looked at her and she stuttered, "H-He never slept with anyone in five years?"

He nodded, "Yeah, been celibate all these years. Bloody crazy if you asked me."

She looked down again, still trying to process this information. They've asked each other if they have dated in the past five years. She told him she went out with a few men but it never went beyond the first date. She also remembered him changing the subject without answering the question. She just assumed that he dated around and didn't want to tell her.

"I-I didn't know. He never told me," she said in a low voice.

"I'm sure he didn't. Probably didn't want you to know he loved you that much. He didn't want you to know you have that much of power over him."

"Then why are you telling me this?"

"Because I want you to do everything you can to let him know and assure him that you love him just as much. I know and I can see that you love him and he's just scared that you'd up and leave again. He wants to be with you but he's afraid, bloody terrified, of having his heart broken again by the same woman," he answered solemnly.

She looked and studied Ron for a bit, her other best friend for the past fifteen years. He may have had the emotional range of a teaspoon in their teenage years but he has grown to be a mature man, father and husband.

"I deserved it if he finds it hard to trust me but I promised myself that I'll do everything to show him that I love him and I'm here to stay. I was stupid to leave before and I won't do that to him again. I will never forgive myself if I hurt him again."

"I know. But even if you broke his heart, I will still beat his arse if he broke yours," he teased, finally smiling at her.

She smiled back and said, "I'm sure that won't be necessary but thank you, Ron."

He stood and faced her saying, "And they say I'm the immature one in the trio," before turning towards Harry and Iris who were finished from flying. The little girl had the brightest smile on her face Hermione has ever seen. She ran towards Ron, who took her into his arms and spun her around. She squealed loud and giggled as they came to a stop.

"Wanna go in the kitchen and steal some cookies from Nana Molly?" he asked her conspiratorially.

She smiled mischievously, which Hermione thought was suspiciously similar to her father's, and nodded. They began walking towards the house while Harry went to sit on the swing Ron was occupying earlier.

"Did you have fun? How did she like flying?" she asked.

"Well, I can confidently say that she will soon be playing quidditch when she starts going to Hogwarts," he answered, puffing his chest out.

"I thought about the same thing earlier." They laughed together for a bit before Harry turned towards her with a serious expression on her face.

"What did you and Ron talk about? Looked serious."

She was silent for a few minutes before facing him, looking straight into his eyes. "Is it true you never went out on a date or slept with other women in the past five years?"

Harry sighed and looked towards the house. "Bloody Ron."

"Not once?"

"Not once."

"Why?"

He looked at her as if she was being daft, "Do you really have to ask that?"

"W-Well, you could have had any woman," she said lamely.

"YOU were the woman I wanted but you were gone. There wasn't anyone else I was interested in, so dating and sleeping around weren't exactly on my to-do list."

"But when we talked about it, you didn't answer. I just assumed you did."

"It doesn't matter to me whether you dated in the past five years or not. I never dated because I wasn't interested in it. I never dated because I was in love with you. I couldn't do that to you," his voice was so low, it was almost a whisper.

"I'm sorry. I don't think I'll ever say sorry enough," she said, "I dated because I thought you'd just move on and date other women. I tried to date but I just kept comparing them to you and they just weren't enough."

He looked at her with soft eyes and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Like I said, it doesn't matter," he said. She nodded and just stared at his eyes.

He suddenly stood up and said with a smile, "We better go inside. Who knows what Ron's been feeding our daughter."

She laughed and nodded. He held out his hand and she took it as she stood up. And he didn't let go of her hand even after they had gone into the Burrow.

~~~~~

It was late when they got back to Hermione's flat after their animated dinner at the Burrow. Harry was carrying his sleeping daughter in his arms as t­hey apparated into the sitting room. Hermione led him to their daughter's room.

When she turned on the lights, what she saw on the little girl's bed made her blood turn cold. She quickly turned to Harry pulling his sleeve back the way they came and said in an urgent voice,

"We need to leave the flat. Now."
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A/N: Dun dun duuunn. So, what did you think? Lemme know! You guys are awesome! :)

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